Chaotic Rebirth
by Trugeta
Summary: The Great Freeze is drawing nearer, Pluto's carefully hatched plans are short from bearing fruit. Just a desperate plan concocted by descendants of Queen Serenity might offer a chance to save billions. The Price? Betraying one of their own, Ranma Saotome.
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Chaotic Rebirth

**Author name**: Trugeta

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ as well as Naoko Takeuchi and many others. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Note further that I don't own any of the trademarks mentioned in this story.

This story takes place after the failed wedding in the Ranma series and the defeat of Galaxia in the Sailor Moon Series. It's an AU, and reviews are welcome and appreciated.

**Chapter 1**

****Nodoka Saotome wandered through the outskirts of the Nerima ward, Tokyo. The beautiful middle-aged woman was completely oblivious to her surroundings and barely noticed that she entered a local park she tended to visit sometimes. Yet, even in her oblivious state she could have deflected most attackers with ease. The silk-wrapped bundle on her back ensured that, and it also served as a constant reminder of her duties; these duties were the precise reason why she was so lost in thought.

The auburn haired woman's brows furrowed in thought, and she unconsciously gnawed at her lower lip as she walked aimlessly through the park. How in Kami-sama's name should she ensure that her manly son did the honourable thing? He had to marry Akane, their family honour simply demanded it. Nothing less was acceptable, yet, the situation was not entirely that simple. Sadly, the main reason for the situation being far from simple was her dear husband. As much as she loved him, his… thoughtlessness had led to many a problem.

She had already resolved many marriage agreements her husband had set up for their son, most of which had been made because of something as simple as food. Needless to say, she as the enforcer of the Saotome family honour had judged those engagements as cases of misunderstood charity, nothing more, nothing less. And she had silenced the protests that had ensued with the threat to shred the offenders' honour in court, even at the cost of her husband's own honour. Family honour was much more important than personal honour after all.

But one agreement remained, and it was not so easily dissolved: the Kuonji agreement, her husband's greatest folly, and a source of constant headaches for someone like her who tried to find a solution. Granted, another engagement existed which might provide some reason for a migraine, but due to the first impression the Amazon girl Xian-Pu had made she had immediately discarded the girl as the mother of her future grandchildren, as willing as she might be. She was just too… rural.

That aside, her son was just too manly to be forced into the kind of marriage the Amazon Elder and her great-granddaughter had obviously in mind; it was just too bad her son didn't have the heart to make that clear. Her son was just so honourable, it brought tears to her eyes. It couldn't be denied that he had many failures and shortcomings that would be detrimental in the long run, but oh was he manly and honourable!

Her thoughts briefly returned to the Amazons. Feh, should they try to force her son into marriage, and they'd learn of the true might of Clan Saotome! If she wanted to she could have them deported at a moments notice, and she could also have their family honour re-established in the blink of an eye, if, yes, if she would swallow her pride.

But that would mean bowing to her father and admitting that he had been right in regards of Genma. Which was something she'd not even begin to consider, and even if the apocalypse stood in front of the door demanding entry she'd not make it easy on her father. That aside, she'd never dishonour her husband like this, even if he had brought enough dishonour upon himself and the family name to last a life-time.

That thought brought her back to the Kuonjis. Her husband's greatest folly, doubtlessly caused by his greed. She hadn't found a way to dissolve the engagement yet, and Ranma was just too honourable to decide upon Akane and hazard the consequences. Her sweet boy didn't want to hurt the girls' feelings, including Ukyo and Xian-Pu. Kodachi she didn't even consider in her musings, and the folly of her husband to accept a large amount of money from the mentally instable girl (again!) in exchange for Ranma's hand in marriage had luckily been resolved. No, the Tendo claim had to come out on top, she had seen the love for Akane in her son's eyes at the failed wedding attempt.

Yes, the failed wedding… failed because the many suitors and rivals of her son had literally bombed it. The rivals… they were a problem in and on themselves. The Hibiki boy had laid low since the wedding attempt and sightings had been more and more infrequent, but if this Amazon boy wouldn't lay off soon he'd end up in a pot as duck a lá mandarin.

Nodoka didn't even want to think of the Kuno boy, Tatewaki, the self-proclaimed 'honourable' Samurai. The audacity he had possessed to appear at her son's wedding with live steel, the Kuno honour sword to boot, demanding that the wedding be halted because _he_ had said so, almost as if his word was equal to the Emperor's, the impudent brat! And then, when her son's curse had activated he'd latched onto Ranma-chan like a love-sick dog! Disgusting!

She had been very tempted to call the authorities to have both Kunos' thrown into the deepest, darkest cell, yet she'd known about the influence of the Kunos' in this ward and the pointlessness of trying to enact justice. However, should the boy come after her son in either form with her nearby he'd witness what a real master of the sword could do. Maybe, just maybe they'd be able to reattach the limbs after she was through with him.

Noticing that her thoughts were straying off-topic Nodoka took a few deep breaths and slowed her steps. The curse… another problem caused by the follies of her husband. The evidence that Genma was as useless as many claimed became crushing.

But alas, she wasn't allowed to think such things of her husband, she was a proper Japanese woman after all, and proper Japanese women didn't condemn their husbands to hell, as good as that would have felt. **'Grr, he better be manly with me soon so I can get rid of these frustrations,'** Nodoka thought with a scowl.

Her thoughts returned to Ranma as she slowed her pace even more, and her gaze strayed to the treetops and birds circling in the mild evening air. Hadn't her son proven that he was manly even as a girl she would have had him commit Seppuku, as heart-wrenching as that would have been.

She loved Ranma dearly, but in case he wouldn't have met her expectations she _would_ have forced him to commit ritual suicide and been his second. Honour was everything, and honour demanded that Ranma was a man among men.

Now she just had to ensure that her son acted manly, preferably with Akane, so that she'd get her grandchildren. But how to resolve this mess with keeping their family honour intact eluded her at present.

**'Oh husband, what a fine mess you've created there…'** she thought with the onset of a migraine.

She was raised out of her musings when a dark-clad figure stepped into her path, effectively blocking it. Nodoka had her katana drawn in a flash, and surveyed her surroundings and her potential opponent. No one was nearby, and her knowledge of the area told her that she was deep in the park, away from the commonly used paths. Nodoka noticed that her opponent was a woman, and quite a young one at that; she was clothed in black from head to toe, and noticeably carried herself like a predator.

Instead of attacking like Nodoka expected the dark-clad woman casually removed her sunglasses and stored them within her cloak, revealing violet eyes that were gazing at her intently. "Nodoka Saotome?" the younger woman then inquired.

Nodoka inclined her head; that much she could give away. "Yes. And you are?"

"Terribly sorry for what I'm going to do, Mistress," was the woman's reply.

While Nodoka puzzled over the mysterious answer with her guard still up, the woman in front of her suddenly blurred out of sight. The Saotome matriarch more felt than saw the woman appear behind her, but she was way too slow to do anything. Her back was touched in several places of which Nodoka knew that they contained important nerve-clusters, and she felt her body lock up.

Before she could fall over Nodoka felt herself being gently lowered to the ground where she came to rest, stiff like a board. Nodoka tried to fight the fear that was rising in her chest, but it was hard. She was effectively helpless, and the fight had been over before it had even begun.

Moments later the woman appeared in Nodoka's field of vision, took the katana from her petrified fingers and leant it against a tree-trunk. "Sorry, Mistress. I had to do it this way or you'd never have listened to me. I know _I_ wouldn't have," she said with an ironic smile. "I'm Ayame Kagote, agent in the service of Clan Saotome. The pressure points I just used will last for five minutes, and your ability to speak will return then too. Now down to business."

Without further ado the woman who had indentified herself as Ayame Kagote reached into her cloak and produced a black, shiny device, her face twisting into a grimace. "This will hurt a bit, but you'll understand soon, Mistress."

Nodoka could do nothing but watch in horror as the dark-clad woman levelled the device to her face. Ayame pushed a button, smiled apologetically, and the next Nodoka saw was a black beam shooting from the device, hitting her right between the eyes. Everything went black, before an explosion of sorts occurred behind her eyes. And suddenly she knew.

-.-

Ayame Kagote, field agent of Clan Saotome, watched how her Mistress assimilated the memories and knowledge that had been so well kept by the Saotome line for so many, many decades. In fact, these memories were their most valuable treasure, passed down only from father to oldest child in a traditional ceremony, after a length of preparations.

However, recent developments had forced their hands, and there was nothing they could do about it. The device had stimulated regions of the brain that had been genetically altered long ago to store and hide memories as well as it had transferred knowledge from an era long since gone.

Nodoka Saotome learned that one of her ancestors had been a member of the Serenity line, the rulers of a golden age called the Silver Millennium. The empire they had ruled had spanned several solar systems and humanity had prospered, but as so often, it hadn't been meant to last.

Beryl, one of Earth's most prominent senators, had – unbeknownst to Queen Serenity and her staff – been envious of what she had and had sold her soul to a demonic entity known only as Metallia in order to gain what she, Serenity had, namely Prince Endymion and her empire. War had erupted, and despite the Queen's and her army's best efforts, world after world had fallen under the onslaught of Beryl's demonic army until just the Earth and the Moon had been left.

The final confrontation between Queen Serenity and Beryl had happened on the moon, and Tenma, brother to Queen Serenity, had been ordered to evacuate by his sister, which he had grudgingly done. Knowing that his older sister would sacrifice herself and feeling like a coward for running he had escaped to Earth where he had managed to survive in cryo-stasis deep under the earth. His capsule had apparently been programmed to wake him up once Earth had reached a certain level of technology, but something had apparently gone wrong and he'd ended up in the 16th century.

Despite everything he'd founded a family and adapted to the time he'd found himself in, but he'd never forgotten his roots. He'd been known as Tenma Saotome, Nodokas' great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather.

The vision also showed a full account of the war, and the recordings proved beyond a doubt that the Queen had known that her utopia had been doomed. Nodoka learned that she'd made plans to ensure that the Moon Kingdom would be rebuilt.

The Queen had not only ordered her brother to evacuate, no, she had also commanded Sailor Pluto to evacuate, had practically ordered her to save herself so that she could commence her all out suicide attack, but her sacrifice had not been so that Pluto could start her own version of the Moon Kingdom. Their Queen had not trusted Sailor Pluto to manage this nearly impossible task by herself, especially taking the probable liabilities due to millennia-long loneliness into account.

Sailor Pluto's primary objective had been to guard the time stream and prevent any more dangers to the solar system to ensure that the final sacrifice of the Queen had not been in vain. Her secondary objective had been to guide the Senshi once their forwarded souls were reincarnated, or so it had been planned.

As they now knew from apparently carefully collected intel, Pluto had obviously failed spectacularly on both accounts. Which was the reason why the Saotomes' had been forced to act. They had found out that Sailor Pluto was willing to sacrifice billions of people so that her vision of the rebuilt Moon Kingdome could come true, and that was completely unacceptable.

The Serenity line had never sacrificed people in such a magnitude, and _if_ it had happened then with the express consent of the people; people, who had been soldiers of the Queen more often than not. Never had civilians been sacrificed without their knowledge or consent, and what Pluto was planning was nothing but a carefully planned genocide, plain and simple.

That the Time Senshi's plans came to fruition had to be averted, or all the ideals of the Moon Kingdom, everything their ancestors had fought and died for, would be for naught. They'd be no better than the enemy they had fought so long ago.

However, it was undeniable that the long-spanning plans of Pluto were short from bearing fruit, and they had to act soon, that Nodoka realised from watching everything.

Ayame continued to watch with regret how Nodoka soaked up the information she had provided, but it had to be done, there just hadn't been another way. Their situation made desperate moves necessary, and she prayed to Kami-sama every day that they wouldn't have to implement what she had dubbed as the 'Last resort'.

Yet it seemed that this exact scenario was becoming more and more likely. The scouts had defeated Galaxia, and in their estimation that had been the last great threat that had prevented Pluto from staging the great ice; if not something completely unexpected occurred nothing stood in the way of the fulfilment of Pluto's dreams, nothing except the Saotome line, the last descendents of Queen Serenity, aside from her reincarnated daughter.

Ayame watched her mistress with a lonely tear trickling down her cheek, sadness welling up inside of her because they would more than likely have to misuse a fine individual for their own ends. Suddenly a red-coloured point appeared behind her eyes, and she stopped to read the message she had just received.

Scratch probable, she thought dejectedly as she added several important bits to what Mistress Nodoka was seeing. The test-results she had just received were overwhelming and confirmed her fears. Their worst case scenario had just been deemed the ideal candidate. Her name: Ranma Saotome.

-.-

Nodoka Saotome came slowly to her senses, and noticed that she was leaning against a tree, her katana lying to her right. After what she had just learned she gladly remained seated. And now she understood what the other woman had meant minutes before. Had she used any other way she'd never have believed her.

But despite what she had seen, what she 'remembered', despite everything, it could still be a trick. She had to be cautious. "If this is the truth as you and this ride on the memory lane claim then show me proof that my family is involved. I want definite and irrefutable proof."

Ayame, having expected this, just nodded calmly and reached into her cloak. "Of course, Mistress," she demurred, and handed Nodoka a wooden box bearing the Saotome Clan emblem.

This alone almost convinced Nodoka of the truth of the unbelievable story she had just witnessed, but she had to eliminate the last doubts. With trembling hands she reached to open the box, and hesitated only for a second. Taking her courage in both hands Nodoka pushed open the lid, and a gasp escaped her.

It was her father's hanko! Even if she hadn't seen it in eighteen years, she knew that no one could forge it, and no thief would ever succeed in stealing it, regardless of how skilled he or she was. That made it definite. Everything she had seen was the ugly truth, hard, cold fact that left Nodoka nearly ready to faint, and just her ingrained stubbornness kept her from giving in to the dizziness she was feeling.

She was the descendent of a Queen who had ruled the Solar System, no, the galaxy! And her daughter – Nodoka's instincts lurched at that, but were forcefully pushed aside by what she had just learned – was destined to be the mother of the Queen's reincarnation!

Her Ranma was so strong! Even as a woman she was so heroic and manly! **'Stop!'** Nodoka chided herself, **'Ranma is to be mother to the reborn Queen Serenity, founder of our line and ruler of the Moon Kingdom. This is sure as hell not manly. But why… Why my Ranma?'**

Turning to Ayame she voiced the question. "Why Ranma? Why my son?"

Ayame sat down in front of her, cross-legged. "Because your _daughter_ is the only one who can ensure that our Queen will be reborn stronger than ever. She's also the only one who can protect her in her womb should an attack commence. The risk is minimal in my opinion, but Pluto might learn of what is going on. She is an experienced and dangerous woman who has planned the Great Freeze for a long time. She's as determined as one can get, and an adversary we should never underestimate."

"The Gates of Time…" Nodoka muttered, opening her eyes in shock.

"I see the memory retrieval is working. Quite an ingenious bit of work Tenma Saotome created there. Yes, the Gates of Time. We wanted to initiate the plan for a long time now, but it took Tenma and later his descendants until fifty years ago to ensure that it was possible. We had to protect ourselves from Pluto and her Timegates, and we had to wait for a likely candidate," Ayame said with a sad smile.

Nodoka shook her head to clear it. "But why Ranma? Why he? What makes Ranma so special?"

Ayame schooled her features and became serious. "We have watched her, Mistress. Her physical attributes alone are impressive. She's incredibly strong, tough, durable, adaptable and so much more. Her psyche is likewise impressive, for just about anyone else would have snapped from the Neko-ken and gone permanently insane. Hmm, let me rephrase that, everyone else _did_ go insane. Ranma did not. It's a heavens send that Ranma turns into a girl. Your family had high hopes that _you_ would be able to fulfil fate at that time, but your aptitude for all things magical was too low."

"Kami-sama…" Nodoka breathed. "Did Ranma receive the curse because of that? Because of his high magical aptitude?"

"Yes, but not exclusively," Ayame said. "Fool that your husband is, at least he passed on some good genes. Luckily."

Nodoka bristled. "I will not stand for you insulting my husband, Ayame." **'No one aside from me has that right, although Ayame is right. Genma **_**is**_** foolish.'**

"I'm sorry, Mistress," Ayame replied, but didn't sound sorry in the least, "But the truth is the truth, and you won't make it less true by ignoring it. Your husband can't be trusted not to do something foolish, or need I remind you of the many marriage agreements, the most recent being that to the Kuno girl, and that for the third time now? And this 'Joining of the school' idiocy he so favours is a danger to Ranma and our plans," Ayame said, looking both intent and annoyed. "Ranma should be removed from the Tendo Dojo, for she and our plans will be in constant danger there."

"What do you mean, 'danger'? From Pluto?" a worried Nodoka asked.

Ayame shook her head. "No, Pluto can't get a lock on Ranma. The magic within her protects Ranma, both the Jusenkyo and her own inert magic."

"Why do you keep on calling Ranma 'her'? He's my son!" Nodoka protested, crossing her arms under her chest.

"Mistress, I need to call Ranma 'her' or I won't be able to focus onto what has to be done. You'd do well to do the same." Ayame retorted, calming herself with a few deep breaths. "What I referred to as a danger, Mistress, is what you call her fiancée."

"Akane?" Nodoka asked incredulously. "That sweet girl is no danger."

"No, Mistress?" the younger woman asked sarcastically. "She might mean no harm, but how many more hits to the head with either a fist or a blunt weapon will be necessary until Ranma suffers brain damage? I've seen the X-rays Dr. Tofu has made in the two years that Ranma has been a guest at the Tendo Dojo. If this carries on not even Ranma's toughness will be enough to prevent permanent damage. Or do you think hard hits to the head are healthy?"

"But…"

"Ranma deserves it? That's what Akane always says, isn't it? Ranma deserves this, Ranma deserves that. Do her claims make it the truth? Of course not! No one deserves to be clobbered with that blunt weapon. Not for spitting out that inedible food, not for acting immature and not for speaking her mind."

"How do you…" Nodoka began.

"What, Mistress? How do I know?" Ayame asked with a raised brow, and Nodoka nodded. "We've watched Ranma since she and Genma came to Nerima. Too bad that we had orders to watch and only watch, or I'd have handed out some justly deserved punishment," she said, cracking her knuckles.

"Watched? Who ordered you? My parents?" Nodoka wanted to know.

Ayame inclined her head in affirmation. "Yes. Imagine their shock when they learned that their grandson had also become their granddaughter. Believe me, they turned over every damn stone from here to Jusenkyo twice to learn what had happened. They had Genma's every move watched for a long time of course, but your husband always managed to stay one step ahead of our agents. The trail Genma had left to Jusenkyo was overly clear, though, and to our luck there's the archive in which every single Jusenkyo victim is listed. Believe me, we learned a lot."

"What? What did you learn?" Nodoka asked intently, having the distinct feeling that she was on the verge of discovering something important.

"We discovered that everyone that comes to Jusenkyo is drawn to one specific spring that matches his or her karma. Ranma had been raised into someone who looked down upon women, who thought that women always needed strong men to protect them. In short, women were nothing more than sweetie pies to her. Good looking, there for kitchen-duties and child-birth, and unfit to fight," Ayame listed, but her face lost the annoyed expression and twisted into a smile. "Genma will probably never know how much of a favour he did us with the way he raised Ranma. Jusenkyo determined the Spring of drowned girl as appropriate punishment for Ranma, as a way to balance her karma. Appropriate that Genma was turned into a lazy animal, isn't it?"

Nodoka ignored the new slight to her husband in favour of pressing on. "Jusenkyo determined it? Or Fate?" she mused half to herself.

Ayame looked thoughtful. "Mistress, you know what they say about Fate. It will always find a way to make things the way it wants them to be."

The Saotome matriarch nodded her assent, an equally thoughtful expression prevalent on her face. "My mother always said something similar. 'If the Fates themselves did not will it to happen, then it never would have occurred,'" she recited.

The raven-haired woman in front of her nodded. "This was the only thing that consoled your mother after you had decided to marry Genma. It was also the reason why she kept your father from disowning you."

Nodoka nodded in understanding and bowed her head. "I see. I always wondered," she said almost to herself and stared off into space. Then she visibly collected herself and looked Ayame in the eyes. "So you say that it was Fate that my son also became my daughter."

"_You_ said that," a smiling Ayame said. "Is it so? Can you let go of your views of manliness in face of what you have learned? Of what is necessary? Can you, Mistress?"

"Counter-question: are you sure that my Ranma is the most likely candidate?" Nodoka asked, her gaze piercing Ayame who calmly met the gaze.

"Yes, Mistress, absolutely," she said softly, a sad smile on her face, "If Ranma's genes are added to the material we have of the Queen, and Ranma carries her to term, she'll be stronger than ever. We'll have a real chance against Pluto and the other Scouts. We will at least have the _chance_ to stop Pluto from encasing this world in a cage of Ice, making it a frozen prison of Death for several billion people."

"I see. But what about Ranma? He'll never agree to do… that," Nodoka said, her voice sounding like she was being dragged through stinging nettles.

"Yes, your views on manliness and how Ranma sees herself make that a given, Mistress," Ayame admitted cooly, making Nodoka flinch.

"So what will we do?" the Saotome matriarch finally asked.

"'We'?" Ayame repeated, a raven brow raised. "Does that mean you are with us? You'll support your family in this?"

"Yes," Nodoka answered without hesitation. "I have always strived to do the honourable thing, and there's nothing more honourable than saving the world. Or die trying."

"Agreed," Ayame nodded with a smile that reached her eyes. "Well, you asked what we'll do. If we had the time we would prepare Ranma slowly, explain to her what we have in mind and how we want to accomplish it. We would ask for her cooperation and appeal to her sense of honour. She already killed a demi-god to save Akane, but more to that later," she said at Nodoka's incredulous look, "Thus it is just a small step to outright saving the world. But sadly we don't have the time."

Nodoka's face scrunched up. "You want to force her through whatever you've planned?" she asked worriedly.

At Ayame's nod she voiced her worries. "Is there no other way? Ranma sees herself as a man regardless of the form, and to force a pregnancy on her would be worse than rape."

The dark-clad woman in front of her expelled a long-suffering sigh. "Believe me, Mistress, I'd do it myself if I could. In a heartbeat. I'd gladly carry the Queen to term, but there are certain requirements that only Ranma can match. We had hoped that we would have enough time to wait for a daughter to be born to the Saotome line who'd hopefully match the criteria, but it's too late. We cannot wait. Ranma is the strongest Saotome woman up till now, both physically and magically. I repeat, we can't wait. Even the time until the birth is nearly too long."

Tears had begun to stream down Nodoka's cheeks throughout Ayame's speech, and the Saotome matriarch cursed Fate that it had not allowed her to be the one. "Why must the Fates be so cruel? Why can't my son have a normal life?"

Ayame grasped Nodoka's right hand, giving it a strong squeeze. "Because Fate has destined Ranma for great things. Never doubt that, as little consolation as it may be."

Nodoka nodded in acceptance, wiping the tears away with her sleeve. "But for my son-turned-daughter to become pregnant so that the human race can be saved… unbelievable," she muttered with a shake of her head. "Please note my objection to not informing Ranma and leaving the choice to him. It is bound to backfire spectacularly, of that I'm certain, but I'll agree with your plans for now. For the greater good, for the human race. But mark my words, Sailor Pluto, you will pay for forcing me to put my child through this so that you can be stopped," she promised in a voice that sent shivers down Ayames' spine.

Sailor Pluto's future didn't look bright, all things considered. But that was the plan in the first place, wasn't it?

**to be continued**…


	2. Chapter 2

**Title**: Chaotic Rebirth

**Author name**: Trugeta

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ as well as Naoko Takeuchi and many others. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Note further that I don't own any of the trademarks mentioned in this story.

This story takes place after the failed wedding in the Ranma series and the defeat of Galaxia in the Sailor Moon Series. It's an AU, and reviews are welcome and appreciated.

**  
Chapter 2**

**  
**Friday April the 7th, 2006 was a particularly warm and sunny day, but two women sojourning in Shakujii Park couldn't have cared less. These women, one Nodoka Saotome, mother to one of Nerima wards' premier martial artists, and Ayame Kagote, agent in the service of Clan Saotome, were seated on the grassy soil the park provided in abundance.

Nodoka was still leaning against the tree the agent of her parents had propped her up against, and gauging from the blank look on her face the auburn-haired woman had no inclination to alter her position, which was no surprise seeing that her mind had to be reeling from everything she had just learned. The younger woman, Ayame, hadn't changed her position either and remained seated in front of Nodoka, Indian style, her eyes not leaving the daughter of her employers.

Suddenly Nodoka's attention seemed to return to the present, and it was easy to see that she still had a lot of questions. Making a quick decision Nodoka determined that it would be the wisest course of action to inform Kasumi that she wouldn't attend dinner, and the Saotome Matriarch made motions to get up. "I have to place a call to inform Kasumi that I won't be home for dinner tonight. I have seen a telephone-booth a kilometre away, so I'll be back as soon as I can."

**  
**"Here," Ayame spoke up and produced an elegant looking black cell-phone before Nodoka could prop herself up, "You can use my cell-phone if you know the number, Mistress. If not we can call the directory enquiries. Walking to the public phone and back would just take too long, and time can be used much more efficiently."

**  
**The Saotome matriarch took the offered mobile phone and thanked Ayame. A few moments later Kasumi had been informed that Nodoka would be taking a longer walk than anticipated, and the talk with Ayame could continue.

**  
**"What are the immediate plans?" Nodoka wanted to know and involuntarily leaned forward. "How would the... procedure commence?"

**  
**Ayame's face became expressionless. "First question. We intend to remove Ranma from the Tendo Dojo. I'm sure that sufficient reason for this course of action will present itself considering the jealousy and distrust Akane Tendo has shown in the past."

**  
**"But..."

**  
**"Merely stating the facts, Mistress. The girl is inept at getting her anger under control and hits your daughter for banalities, and sadly Mistress Ranma takes this 'punishment' in hopes it would get better, in hopes that the Tendo girl would come around and change. But that will soon be water under the bridge. Second question. This is a bit more... complicated. We have genetic material from the Queen, but as mentioned before, Ranma's genes have to be passed on, which will be ensured through a method our scientists developed. But more to that later," Ayame said, and her tone of voice made it clear that the topic was closed.

**  
**Nodoka knew better than anyone else that Ayame, agent of Clan Saotome or not, wouldn't take orders from her seeing as she was estranged from her parents and let it go. "How can there be genetic material of queen Serenity after 15,000 years?" she wanted to know.

**  
**Ayame took a deep breath and met Nodoka's intent gaze. "Your ancestor, Kami-sama bless his soul, retrieved it before everything went up in smoke. You must know, the man known as Tenma Saotome, brother to the Queen, was one of the leading scientists and commanders of his time. He wanted to stay behind to fight till his death as you have surely 'seen', but the Queen gave him the direct order to get to safety. An order is an order, and brother or not, he had to obey. But he knew that Serenity would give her life to achieve victory, and he also knew of the precautions she had taken seeing as he had been the one to suggest them in the first place."

**  
**"Clever," Nodoka commented. "'Be prepared for anything, constant vigilance,' one of my tutors used to say, and she was right time and again."

**  
**Ayame nodded, the ghost of a wolfish smile gracing her lips. "Wise woman, that. Anyway, your ancestor retrieved the samples, which was necessary considering the chaos that reigned. You saw it yourself, the war had turned ugly, and both sides ruthlessly beat the crap out of the other. The man known as Tenma Saotome knew that the Silver Millennium was doomed, and he retrieved as much material and technology as he could. Well, enough for him to survive and enact the plan to bring the Queen back."

**  
**"How did he do all that? Where did he hide? It was war after all, and all planets aside from Earth were rendered lifeless. Kami-sama!" Nodoka breathed, her eyes going wide. "All nine planets once held life! And the war..."

**  
**"Killed billions of people on nine planets and rendered eight planets uninhabitable, yes. Beryl used devilish weapons, experiments her scientists had worked on. Something to do with an anti-magic warhead, but I'm no expert for Silver Millennium weaponry. Let's just say it was beyond nasty and leave it at that," Ayame suggested, the dark look in her eyes speaking volumes.

**  
**Nodoka nodded, pale-faced. "What Pluto has in mind is something similar. Unbelievable. She has to be stopped," she said with conviction. "But back to my ancestor. How did he manage to survive? Where did he hide?"

**  
**"He knew that the Silver Millennium was coming to an end. He had seen planet after planet fall, and knew what the Queen intended to do. After he had been ordered to evacuate he mused that no one would miss the starship prototype that stood in the hangar. It was equipped with a new cloaking device and had been designed for espionage missions, but hadn't been tested at that time. The war and all, you know. As the first prototype it was only equipped with light weapons, but considering that it was intended for long spying missions it had quite a tonnage. To make a long story short, Tenma Saotome stuffed the technology he needed into the ship, boarded it and tested the cloaking device."

**  
**"Which worked, quite obviously. Otherwise we wouldn't be sitting here," Nodoka commented dryly.

**  
**"Indeed," Ayame replied in the same tone and inclined her head. "According to the data from his journals he then used the cloaking device to collect data about Atlantis, Beryl's stronghold on Earth at that time. This data ultimately allowed the Queen to deliver the decisive blow, but as we know, it cost the Queen her life.

"Well, after Beryl and her minions had been banned to the pocket-universe that served as their prison Earth was nothing more than a nearly completely devastated mudball. Very few humans were left, no technology, no support from other planets, nothing. They had to start from scratch, and when your ancestor saw how fast the survivors had turned into barbarians he chose the cryo-sleep in favour of aiding the survivors and programmed his capsule as mentioned before. He wanted to wake up in a time where no one knew the brother of Queen Serenity."

**  
**"Something he managed to accomplish alright," Nodoka commented with a wry smile.

**  
**"Everyone aside from Pluto was long dead, yes," agreed Ayame with a shrug. "And that he found himself stranded in the 16th century was either bad luck or Fate. Pluto was still around of course seeing as she is immortal, according to the memories and journals of Tenma. But that doesn't mean she can't be killed," she added with a wolfish grin.

**  
**Nodoka frowned. "Presumed that we can, do we _have_ to kill her, and the other Scouts? Kami-sama knows we have to stop Pluto, but is there no other way?"

**  
**Ayame sighed, and true regret shone briefly in her eyes. "I wish there was. One would have to convince the other Scouts that Pluto's vision of utopia will be built upon the bones of billions of innocents. And something tells me that they already know or at least suspect and have hazarded the consequences. Which would leave us with few options."

**  
**"How can they?" Nodoka wondered, disbelief edged on her face. "They have always fought for love and justice, and hadn't you shown me the memories and what you uncovered I wouldn't have been the wiser. How can they live with a decision that dooms billions?"

**  
**The dark-clad woman sitting in front of her sighed once more. "They can, if you consider the following: the Scouts have fought hordes of enemies, faced overwhelming odds and probably saw horrors beyond our wildest imagination. If you could end it all, if you could create a utopia by sacrificing some of the human race, wouldn't you? And before you answer keep in mind that these women are tired of fighting and killing, Mistress."

**  
**Nodoka mulled over Ayame's words and tried to view the situation from every possible angle. Finally she came to a conclusion. "Even considering everything, no, I couldn't. I'm no God to decide who lives or dies, neither are the Scouts. I can understand why they want to create their utopia, but to build it upon the corpses of billions, innocents they have _sworn_ to protect is just unacceptable. If we could convince them that they're in the wrong we might be able to overthrow Pluto without having to kill her."

**  
**"Easier said than done, Mistress. Despite her many failings, the Scouts depend on Pluto due to her experience, and they listen to her, and, more importantly, they trust her. She is over 15,000 years old, and I can only guess that the Scouts must feel like kids compared to her. In essence, they _are_ kids, kids with sufficient magical power to ensure that their dream of utopia comes true. They may be too set in their ways, and we may have no other choice but to resort to extreme measures to stop not only Pluto, but all of them," Ayame said, her tone without a trace of emotion.

**  
**"You mean 'kill them'. I see. I hope you're wrong, Ayame, I really do. But only time will tell," Nodoka mused and fell silent. Then a thought crossed her mind. "Talking about time, how can we ensure that Pluto won't learn of our plans?"

**  
**"A good question, Mistress. The answer is Silver Millennium technology. When the Scout Project was started back then in the Moon Kingdom Tenma was responsible for the creation of the Gates of Time, among things. The Queen and he ensured that technology was developed that could block Pluto's powers. Your ancestor was also clever enough to copy the relevant data before he evacuated, and seeing that he was the brother of the Queen he had the required security clearance to access and copy everything he so chose. Along with the technology he managed to save a lot of blueprints, and the Saotome line was able to recreate a lot of technology. The result is a device that makes us undetectable to the Gates of Time and Pluto's powers.

"We are literally in her blind spot. Tenma always knew that Pluto was the most dangerous Scout, and when he found traces of her activities he ensured that his own activities were well concealed," the dark-clad woman elaborated.

**  
**"You mean he detected Pluto's doing in the 16th century? How?" Nodoka asked, raising her eyebrows inquiringly.

**  
**"Simple. When he came out of his cryo-stasis Tenma was faced with a decision. He could either have gone back to cryo-sleep in hopes of waking up in a time that had become more modern, or he could have stayed in this time and rebuild in secret. According to his journals one occurrence tipped the scales in favour of option two: he detected Pluto's energy-signature thanks to his equipment. He was very careful and tapped the Gates of Time without Pluto noticing, and found traces of her manipulations. Ever since then the Saotome line has prepared in secret, and now the time has come where we are forced to act," Ayame said, a look of stubborn determination appearing on her face.

**  
**"I see. And the public can't benefit from our technology because Pluto and the Scouts would swoop down on us like harpies. Splendid," Nodoka commented and barely resisted the urge to massage her temples.

**  
**"Correct, Mistress. But we can and will use the medical technology we have available to ensure that all of the human race survives. You said it, no one has the right to decide who lives or dies, even if they leave the decision to chance."

**  
**Nodoka tried to paste a neutral expression on her face, but knew that her worry for her son had to be visible. "How soon does my family want to implement the plan?"

**  
**"As soon as possible," came the prompt reply. "It is planned that I accompany you to the Tendo Dojo at your earliest convenience, Mistress."

**  
**Nodoka nodded, having expected this answer. "You want to use Akane's jealousy against her."

**  
**"Yes. I always suspected that you let things be to spur Akane's competitiveness. But as things are now it's safe to say that this approach has failed, as has the plan of the fathers to use P-chan to make Ranma angry and jealous so that she would admit her feelings to Akane. Forgive my words, Mistress, but Akane is just too thickheaded to add two and two and come to the conclusion that Ryoga is P-chan."

**  
**"WHAT!" Nodoka exclaimed, disbelief written on her face. Slowly the disbelief was replaced by understanding, and then anger. "But of course!" she muttered smacking a fist into her palm, "Now it makes sense. Now I finally understand why my s… child acted the way he did. And you say husband and Soun kept it under wraps to push Akane and Ranma together? Those fools! But why? Why didn't Ranma ever say a word?"

**  
**"She was bound by honour not to," Ayame, who hadn't expected a reaction this strong, replied after quickly overcoming her surprise. "We learned that Ranma was partially responsible for Ryoga getting cursed, and once she learned what and how it had happened she swore an oath to never reveal his weakness or use it against him. It is something she has regretted many times."

**  
**"And with just reason," Nodoka growled, her fists clenched in anger. "Now I finally understand why Ranma was always so frustrated when Akane took that pig into her bed. She was sleeping with another man without knowing it, and my child wanted to stop the slights to her honour. Oh my, what a mess," she muttered, massaging her temples to ward of the growing headache.

**  
**"True, Mistress. Yet it won't be of our concern. Besides, Ryoga has stayed away from Akane ever since the failed wedding, and our agents reported that he seems to be involved with a girl named Akari Unryuu," she reported and got to her feet in one elegant, fluid motion. "The plan is to retrieve Ranma from the Dojo, let her meet her grandparents and accompany her to the Clan manor where everything will commence. Ranma trusts you, and that is our advantage. Once inside the house we have ways to block her powers, and then we can get started. Are you ready, Mistress?"

**  
**Nodoka got up as well and rolled her head a few times to losen her joints, then she bent down to pick up her sword. "Yes," was her simple reply, but inwardly she had the feeling that she'd just agreed to the ultimate betrayal. Hopefully Ranma would be able to forgive her in time.

**  
**-.-

**  
**Ranma Saotome, martial artist extraordinaire and all around happy-go-lucky young individual was not a happy camper. And quite female at the moment. Which was, all things considered nothing new on both accounts lately. The boy-turned-girl growled softly to herself and wrong some excess water out of her long pigtail, her bare feet making pitt-patting noises on the pavement.

Passers by weren't even giving her a second glance seeing as the absurd was normal around Nerima and had been for the better part of three years, which suited the redhead quite well. At least her clothes had luckily remained intact, or even the jaded Nerimans would have gone bug eyed what with her having developed even more in the bust department.

Her curse had activated during a wild goose-chase through Nerima with half of the NWC as chasers and her as the goose, and all of that due to a triviality, as per usual. She didn't even remember what the instigating factor that had triggered the latest conflict had been, but these brawls were getting really annoying. And that wasn't the worst.

Ranma laughed mirthlessly. Being chased by Mousse, Shampoo, both Kunos and Ukyo was bad enough, but that Akane had just given up half-way throughout the chase was alarming. She was genuinely worried, for something had changed in her fiancée after the failed wedding. And everything had looked so promising at first, all things considered. She had finally admitted that she loved Akane and might even have brought her back from the dead, and despite how the wedding ceremony had come about, she would have said yes.

**  
**She had even stomached the great personal loss that had been the destruction of Jusenkyo, but she _had_ told the truth when she had said that the curse didn't matter to her any longer. She'd had every reason to believe that her life would begin to settle down after the climax that had been Jusendo, but what had happened? Her friends and rivals had ruined the wedding, had acted like nothing had changed after Jusendo.

The wedding had been Akane's special day, that much she had learned from her mother. The wedding day was the most important day in a woman's life (aside from giving birth, her mother had said), and it had been ruined. Nobody had outright said that it had been her fault, but the looks had been enough.

Akane's reaction had been worse, though. It hadn't been anger or fury, but resignation. It seemed as if she had given up, and in the month ever since the failed wedding she hadn't been able to get Akane out of her brooding. Nothing had helped.

**  
**The redhead sighed as she trudged along the road that led to the Tendo Dojo. Maybe, just maybe Akane had come out of her funk, as unlikely as that was. Her fiancée was a very emotional person, and moods like these could last for a long time. She pushed the door open with another sigh and entered the house. Shrugging her morose thoughts off she called, "I'm back!"

**  
**"Hello, Ranma-kun," came Kasumi's melodic voice from the kitchen, and it lifted her spirits inexplicably. The older woman was like a sister to her, and she was one of the few who didn't judge her. Quite refreshing, that.

**  
**The redhead entered the kitchen with a smile, her worries pushed aside for the time being. "Hello, Kasumi. You got some hot water ready? The others chased me once again and the curse got activated."

**  
**Kasumi smiled her kind smile. "That much is obvious, Ranma-kun. I'm in the middle of preparing dinner right now, and I'm terribly sorry, but you'll either have to wait and stay a girl or change back in the bathroom once Nabiki comes out. Heating up water here isn't possible seeing that I'm using all hobs, and the water-heater has given out on us a few hours ago. But you'll get beef stroganoff as compensation."

**  
**Ranma licked her lips and smiled. For something that delicious she'd gladly stay a girl. "No sweat, Kasumi. Don't matter if I'm a girl a few more minutes. But don't tell anyone or it'll ruin my image," she whispered conspiratorially.

**  
**The other girl giggled. "You have my word, Ranma-_chan_," she replied with a mischievous grin.

**  
**"For your beef stroganoff I'll let even _that_ slide, Kasumi-_chan_," she retorted, and looked around, only noticing now how silent the usually vibrant house was. "Where is everyone?"

**  
**"Akane is in her room, Nabiki is in the furo, the fathers and grandfather Happosai have gone to the public bath, and your mother has gone for a walk," Kasumi listed, all the while tending to the many bubbling pots with expert ease.

**  
**"'kay. Did Akane say anything?" Ranma asked and tried to sound as casual as possible.

**  
**"No, Ranma-kun, she just went to her room without a word. Has anything out of the ordinary happened?" Kasumi asked while preparing the flesh.

**  
**"No more than usual, Kasumi. But I fear that that's the problem. The insanity has become routine, and after what happened at the wedding... I think Akane has had enough," she mused with a sigh and leant against the kitchen-counter.

**  
**"Oh my!" Kasumi exclaimed, her worried eyes meeting Ranma's. "You might be right! This would explain her recent behaviour..."

**  
**"Yup. And I haven't got the foggiest what I could do," Ranma admitted with a sigh.

**  
**"Me neither, Ranma-kun, me neither. I've never seen Akane like this. I..."

**  
**"We're back!" came a voice from the front-door and effectively interrupted what Kasumi had wanted to say, causing her to return her attention to the food she was preparing.

**  
**"Oh my, could you help me with dinner preparations, Ranma-kun?" Kasumi asked hopefully. "I didn't expect them back for another hour."

**  
**Ranma, always the helpful one, nodded. "Feh, they were probably thrown outta the bathhouse 'cause the old lech was his usual self. But I'll gladly help you. What would ya have me do?"

**  
**"Please wash and prepare the salad, and you can cook rice. That would be most helpful, Ranma-kun," Kasumi said with a smile.

**  
**The redhead smiled back. "Anytime, Kasumi," she replied and took an apron. "Just bought a new pullover from my hard earned savings. Don't want it ta get ruined or nothing."

**  
**Kasumi nodded in acceptance and turned to brown the meat. "Very thoughtful, Ranma-kun. But remember what I taught you about etiquette. It's not proper to speak like that, not in your normal form and especially not in your present form."

**  
**"But Kasumi!" Ranma whined with a pout as she washed the salad.

**  
**"No buts, Ranma-kun. Society expects a certain behaviour of us, and we don't want to be seen as roughnecks, do we?" Kasumi asked sweetly.

**  
**"No, Kasumi," Ranma sighed and used her Martial Arts cooking skills to chop the salad.

**  
**The door was opened of a sudden and a flashbulb went off. "Nabiki," Ranma growled, irritation creeping into her voice.

**  
**"Yes, Ranma-_chan_?" the middle Tendo daughter asked mischievously and took another picture.

**  
**Ranma sputtered in indignation. "What do you want now?" she asked angrily as she filled one of the steaming pots with Basmati rice, lacing the older girl with a burning glared.

**  
**"My, my, we are testy today. Is it that time of the month for you?" Nabiki retorted teasingly.

**  
**Ranma became red-faced. "Why, you!"

**  
**"Nabiki, that was neither proper nor called for!" Kasumi scolded. "You should apologise."

**  
**"Yeah, yeah, whatever. This nice shot of you will get me a nice amount of money from Kuno. His pig-tailed goddess in an apron... the perfect little housewife. Ta ta!" Nabiki grinned, rubbing her hands in glee.

**  
**"Why you little..."

**  
**"Apron?" Genma's curious voice came from the door. "Is dinner ready?"

**  
**The door was pushed open, and three men entered. Ranma looked away from the target of her ire and met the gaze of her father. A gaze that grew steadily more furious. "What is this?" he exclaimed. "Why are you a girl, and why in the name of Hades are you wearing women's clothing?" he demanded.

**  
**"I'm a girl because you got me cursed, remember that?" Ranma asked with a glare.

**  
**"Don't smartmouth me, boy. Why haven't you changed back yet? And why are you wearing that... that... thing?" Genma demanded, his annoyed gaze piercing his son-turned-daughter.

**  
**"Because it makes her look _cute_!" a wizened old voice interrupted before an unimpressed Ranma could retort. "And I'm sure my Ranma-chan will wear this for me, won't you?" Happosai asked, producing a black lace bra.

**  
**Ranma's glare shifted to Happosai and intensified. "Over my dead body, old lech," she stated in a cold voice.

**  
**"We'll see about that. HOTCHA!" he yelled and shot forward. Genma and Soun took this as their cue to leave the kitchen, seeing as they were wise enough to not get caught in the crossfire that was more than likely to occur.

**  
**The moronic duo otherwise known as the fathers had barely made their escape when Happosai's outstretched fist was about to meet Ranma. But while the Anything Goes Grandmaster was fast the lightning-quick fist that knocked him against a cupboard courtesy of Ranma was faster. "And that takes care of that," huffed the redhead and crossed her arms underneath her chest.

"You're no fun, Ranma," Happosai grumbled with a pout and sprang to his feet.

**  
**"On the contrary. Saotome is loads of fun if you know how to exploit his weaknesses," Nabiki spoke up with a smirk as she re-entered the kitchen, taking another photo, much to Ranma's annoyance.

**  
**Happosai looked at Nabiki with big, innocent eyes. "Would you teach me, Nabiki dearest?"

**  
**"Sorry, Happosai, but puppy dog eyes don't work on me. And you can hardly expect me to reveal the secrets of my success," Nabiki drawled in a bored tone.

**  
**Happosai used his best bambi impression, but had to realise that it didn't work either and quickly returned his attention to the undergarments still in his hand. "Whatever. Now, which set of silky darlings would suit my Ranma-chan best…"

**  
**"Can't one have some peace and quiet in this house?" came a disgruntled female voice from the door.

**  
**"Saotome, you're so in for it," a smirking Nabiki commented as Akane entered the kitchen.

**  
**The redhead sighed, knowing that Nabiki was probably right. "And why is that? Is it my damn fault the old lech is obsessed with stuffing me into… into that?" she complained to the heavens.

**  
**"Hmm, black lace or black silk? Why can't I have both?" the old master complained and completely ignored the going ons around him.

**  
**Nabiki grinned. "Of course, Saotome. Would you show some feminine modesty in this form he might not be so fixated on you. Some girl training would really do you good," she teased.

**  
**Ranma glared hotly at the older girl. "Why you…"

**  
**"Ranma, stop it. I've had enough of these quarrels," Akane, who had watched the exchange in unusual quietness, spoke up, unusual tiredness tingeing her voice.

**  
**"Akane, my sunshine, what's wrong?" Happosai asked in what seemed to be genuine concern.

**  
**The youngest Tendo girl sighed, and it sounded like she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. "Everything. I'm tired of these constant fights, I'm tired of the insults, I'm tired of everything always being destroyed. I'm so sick of it."

**  
**"A hug will surely comfort you. HOTCHA!" Happosai exclaimed, shooting forward once more.

**  
**He didn't get far seeing that his forward momentum was arrested by Ranma's fist. "You just don't learn, old perv, do you?" she growled.

**  
**"But… but I only wanted to comfort my Akane-chan! The poor dear needs a hug!" Happosai complained and tried to look innocent.

Ranma's brow climbed into her hair in irritation. "Suuure. Tell us another one. I-"

**  
**"Ranma," Akane interrupted very quietly, "I didn't need your help. I could have handled the situation myself."

**  
**The redhead was taken aback. "B-but I just wanted-" she protested.

**  
**"I'm a martial artist, and if you doubt my abilities I'll have to get angry," Akane stated flatly, not giving Ranma the chance to finish her explanation.

**  
**"Oh my, why don't we eat?" Kasumi interjected in an effort to diffuse the situation; an effort that worked, much to her relief.

Luckily she had become a quick chef due to constant practise, or the situation could have turned ugly indeed, the oldest Tendo sister thought to herself, and quickly roped Ranma into setting the table while asking Akane to carry the dishes into the living room.

Little later the Tendos, Saotomes and Happosai were seated around the table, but it was a far cry from the usual lively dinner time in the Tendo home.

**  
**-.-

**  
**Nodoka and Ayame were well on their way to the Tendo Dojo, and the Saotome matriarch had learned a great many interesting things during the walk. Mostly about her _daughter_. According to the tests that had been conducted Ranma had the highest aptitude for all things magical ever recorded in the Saotome line, and these recordings reached as far back as the 16th century. Her Ranma, always the extraordinary one.

Considering this and Ranma's apparently good genes she was the logical choice indeed. But that her family was involved in something like this was... mind-boggling, and hadn't she 'seen' what she had seen she wouldn't have believed it. At all. As it was she was still having trouble accepting it, but everything she had learned was true, that much she knew from her awakened memories.

Her family _was_ descended from a Queen who had ruled a large part of the galaxy, which was hard enough to accept. Yet it was even harder to accept that her son-turned-daughter should be the one to give birth to a genetically altered reincarnation of said Queen, but she was slowly coming to terms with it.

After all, doing it and nearly saving all of Earth's population was the manly thing to do. She had fully made up her mind during the walk with Ayame and decided to go along with her parents' plan despite her reservations for one good reason: time was getting scarce, and her son would be a hero.

The Scouts _had_ made fewer and fewer public appearances lately, that she had noticed as well, and according to Ayame it could only mean one thing: they were making preparations for the Great Freeze. Clan Saotome's scientists didn't know yet how the Great Freeze would occur, but they were still conducting an increasingly frenzied research in every direction imaginable. The most probable scenario was an asteroid-impact, but even with their technological possibilities, they hadn't detected any signs of an impending extra-terrestrial threat up till now.

**  
**Nodoka shook herself out of her musings and paid more attention to her surroundings. She noticed right away that Ayame really knew her way around here as evidenced by the fact that she had chosen the quickest route to the Dojo. The women continued to walk in silence, until Ayame came to a full stop one block from the Tendo Dojo. "Mistress, it would be best if I appeared at the Dojo alone. Considering past occurrences I'd be suspected to be a new fiancée. The people there are awfully fast to jump to conclusions, and we will use that to our advantage."

**  
**Nodoka nodded her assent after quickly mulling Ayame's suggestion over. It was a good plan and most likely to paint a realistic picture of how things stood at the Dojo which might even reinforce her decision. "Considering what I know now I must say that the agreement between the families has become rather unimportant. Do what you must, Ayame. Maybe I'll even see proof that things are indeed as bad at the Dojo as you claim them to be if I'm not on site."

**  
**Ayame inclined her head. "May I suggest that Mistress appear on site in ten minutes? I'll record everything that will happen anyway, but it might be even better if Mistress got a firsthand impression of the likely fallout."

**  
**"Excellent suggestion!" Nodoka agreed with a nod. "If my dear husband acts up make perfectly clear who sent you. I'm sure that will work wonders."

**  
**"I'll keep that in mind, Mistress," Ayame said with a glint in her eyes. Then she was gone.

**  
**-.-

**  
**Ranma was still dissatisfied with the current state of affairs despite having changed back, and when the young Saotome was frustrated he usually ate, which led to him currently being busy devouring his third helping when suddenly the bell rang. Looking up from his food he saw that Kasumi had already gotten up to answer the door. Sure, who else but the house's backbone?

**  
**"Oh my, who might that be? And so late?" Kasumi muttered almost to herself as she made her way to the front door.

**  
**"We haven't had a new fiancée in a good, long time, did we?" Nabiki drawled, smirking suggestively at Ranma.

**  
**"If you count last week as a long time, then yes," Akane muttered with a scowl on her face.

**  
**It was this scowl that gave Ranma hope, hope that Akane hadn't given up on him. Maybe it wasn't over after all. "Mom managed to deflect them so fast their heads spun. And you'd do well ta remember it wasn't my fault."

**  
**"Whatever, Saotome," Nabiki retorted in a bored voice, the Ice Queen having decided to tone it down a bit before Akane could get really worked up.

**  
**Before anyone could say anything else Kasumi returned to the living room, and all eyes were upon her. "Father," she said to the Tendo patriarch, who was busy playing Shogi with Genma, "We have a guest."

**  
**She stepped aside and revealed Ayame, who entered the room with confident strides. "Good evening, I'm Ayame Kagote, and I have come for Ranma Saotome."

**  
**Nabiki looked at Ranma speculatively. "5,000 Yen up front if I'm to keep this from the fiancée brigade."

**  
**Ranma groaned and barely resisted to bang his head against the table. "You know as well as I do that I'm broke."

**  
**"I'll put it on your tab," Nabiki retorted with a smirk.

**  
**The raven-haired boy waved it away and focused on Akane, who had been strangely quiet. Too quiet. The only thing one could hear from her was a muttered, "I knew it."

**  
**"Excuse me, Miss," Ayame addressed Akane, "But what did you know? What is going on here?"

**  
**Akane propped herself up on the table and got to her feet. "I knew," she began in a deadly quiet voice, "that you were a new fiancée. I knew the moment you entered the room. What was offered this time? Money? Food? Other commodities?" she asked still in that flat, tired voice.

**  
**"No..." Ayame tried.

Akane smacked her palms on the table with enough force to make it groan in protest, and her face was red with rising fury as she laced Ranma with a burning glare. "I'm sick and tired of this, Ranma! It has been one month, one month since the wedding, and three new fiancées have come out of the woodwork. Three! I can't go on like this, Ranma, and I won't! Take your new hussy and leave," she said with tears streaming down her face and plopped onto her cushion.

**  
**"But Akane!" Ranma exclaimed, his hands held up in a placating gesture. "This isn't-"

**  
**"**RANMA, HOW DARE YOU CHEAT ON MY LITTLE GIRL!**" Soun's booming demon-head amplified voice interrupted before Ranma could even begin to argue that it wasn't his fault.

**  
**"Yes, boy," Genma growled, taking the same line as Soun, "What do you think you're doing? Why haven't you told this girl off already? The schools must be joined, so apologise to your fiancée immediately!"

**  
**"For what? I ain't done a thing!" Ranma growled back, resisting the urge to send his father into the koi pond just barely.

**  
**"Sure, Ranma," Akane growled, her puffy red eyes glaring angrily at her fiancè, "It's always just another coincident. Always. That excuse is getting old, and I'm sick and tired of it."

**  
**"Saotome, if I'm to keep this under wraps its going to cost you. 5,000 Yen up front and a photo shooting," Nabiki said with a barely concealed smirk.

**  
**Ranma turned his head to the middle Tendo daughter and glared at her. "I already said that I'm broke. And what do ya want these photos for anyway? For selling them to Kuno? Or for making porn pics outta them and sell them on the net?"

**  
**"Ranma!" Akane growled, her hands gripping the edge of the table hard. "Stop picking on my sister! She'd never do that!"

**  
**"Yes, son," Soun spoke up, "That was way out of line. Apologise to Nabiki!"

**  
**"What for?" Ranma exclaimed in frustration. "For telling the truth?"

**  
**"RANMA NO BAKA!" Akane yelled, giving her own pent-up frustrations an outlet.

**  
**Her mallet caught Ranma in a rising uppercut that sent the Saotome teen through the roof, and moments later a loud splash could be heard. "Now you can show your hussy your feminine side, you baka! The engagement is over!" she said with finality.

**  
**Ayame, who had been silent throughout the whole incident, shook her head in disbelief. "You people are unbelievable," she almost growled, reminding the residents that she was still present.

**  
**"You!" Akane growled and turned her head to lace the black-clad woman with a heated glare. "What are _you_ still doing here? Get that womanising baka and leave!"

Ayame didn't let the anger she was feeling show, and her face was expressionless, but the forceful look of her cold eyes caused Akane to flinch ever so slightly. "I gladly would-"

"What are you waiting for, then? We. Are. Through. So take your new fiancè and go. He's all yours!" Akane interrupted with a scowl, missing Ranma's hurt expression altogether.

**  
**"My baby-girl, aren't you overreacting a bit? I'm sure things can be patched up once Ranma apologises." Soun spoke up before Ayame could retort, worry for the fate of the schools shining in his eyes.

**  
**"No! I've had it! I've given him Kami-sama knows how many chances, and now I've finally had enough! This ends here!" Akane growled, crossing her arms underneath her chest in defiance, her burning glare threatening to sear a hole through her father.

**  
**"Daddy," Nabiki spoke up with an almost imperceptible shake of her head, "give it a rest. Akane has just had a meltdown, so let her cool off. Things will look very different tomorrow."

**  
**Soun mulled it over. "Maybe you're right..."

**  
**Ayame laughed mirthlessly. "I stand corrected. You people aren't just unbelievable, you're pathetic," she said, spearing Genma and Soun with her gaze. "Even a blind man can see that your daughter doesn't want to marry Ranma, Soun Tendo, so all your hopes are in vain.

"But enough of that, I didn't come to engage in mindless drivel," she said coldly, ignoring the angry outbursts that followed. "I'm here to retrieve Ranma, but you never gave me the chance to explain _why_ I am here, did you? You just jumped to conclusions and assumed that I was a new fiancée."

**  
**"You're _not_?" a dripping wet Ranma-chan asked from the door, a strange look of surprise mixed with hope on her face.

**  
**"No, I'm not," Ayame confirmed, while Kasumi handed a towel to Ranma who took it with a smile and towelled herself off.

**  
**"You're not?" echoed Soun, and his face broke into a large grin. "There's still hope, Saotome!"

**  
**Genma grinned as well. "Yes, Tendo. Akane and Ranma will join the schools, just as we've always envisioned!"

**  
**Ranma sighed and plopped down onto her usual cushion. She briefly considered expending the energy that was needed to show the fathers the error of their ways, but one look at Akane revealed that she was already prepared to tear into them, so she allowed herself to relax.

**  
**"The hell I will!" Akane growled fiercely, her fiery temper and burning glare easily cowing the men. "Read from my lips: I won't marry Ranma, not now, not ever. My life is a train-wreck because of the last so called wedding," she didn't say 'because of Ranma', but everyone understood the meaning anyway, "and I can well do without another blasted wedding! As far as I'm concerned, this is over!"

**  
**"But Akane…" Soun began, only to be silenced by a death-glare from his youngest daughter and the order to summarily "Shut up,".

**  
**Ranma just wore a deeply hurt look on her face and sunk deeper into her cushion, her heart having been shattered by the seriousness and sobriety her ex-fiancèe had displayed.

**  
**"I'll be in my room," Akane said finally and completely ignored the redhead as she stormed off.

Soun wandered out of the room few moments later in a trance-like state, muttering about how the schools would never be joined and that he needed a strong drink or twenty.

**  
**Nabiki turned her head to Ayame. "If you're no fiancée, why are you here?" she asked, ill-concealed suspicion tingeing her voice.

**  
**Ayame met her look with an icy-cold gaze that nearly froze even the Ice-Queen. "I'm here because of my duties, Miss Tendo. And were it not for the fact that you are in the same room as Mistress Saotome you wouldn't learn a thing," she said, and turned her to look at a gob-smacked Ranma, "Mistress Ranma, my employers sent me to extent an invitation to you," Ayame concluded, looking at the redhead and ignoring anyone else.

**  
**"Invitation? Who'd invite me?" Ranma asked incredulous, forgetting to be annoyed at being called 'Mistress' by the strange woman.

**  
**"One moment here…" Nabiki interjected, her suspicions growing stronger by the second, "How can you be so calm about the fact that Ranma here just changed into a girl?"

**  
**"Good point, Nabiki! What are you up to, girl? What are you playing at?" Genma asked with a stern expression.

**  
**The dark-clad woman ignored Genma completely and focussed her cold violet eyes on Nabiki. "My employers know everything about the curse, Miss Tendo. And they know everything about you," she said coldly.

**  
**The surprise that permeated the room was palpable. "They know?" Ranma uttered, a frown making her forehead crinkle. "Who are they?"

**  
**Ayame smiled, a real smile t is time. "Clan Saotome, Ranma. More specific, your grandparents."

**  
**Ranma's mouth formed a big O, conveying just how surprised she was. Her father's reaction was unlike stronger, though, for he had gone white as a sheet. "They… They _know_?" he managed to utter.

**  
**Violet eyes flashed, and this time they locked firmly on Genma. "They know everything, Genma. Every single, ugly detail. We have watched you the whole time, and were the decision up to me you'd be a pandafur-rug in under ten seconds. But alas, the decision is _not_ up to me, and my orders are to accompany Ranma and deal with any resistance I meet, nothing more. Sadly."

**  
**Nabiki met Ayame's cold look unflinchingly and matched it. "Ranma can't leave tonight. She's booked for a photo-shooting," she stated coldly.

**  
**"Is that so?" Ayame asked, her tone even frostier.

**  
**"Yes. She has a debt to work off, and I've decided that she starts tonight." Nabiki retorted and refused to break the staring contest.

**  
**The glaring contest continued for a few minutes before Ranma growled, "What debt?"

"That I'd like to know as well, Miss Tendo. Just out of curiosity, what does this debt entail?" Ayame asked in a dangerously calm tone, her posture decidedly predatory.

Ranma was surprised that anyone, especially a woman she didn't even know, would stand up for her, and she, like the others, looked at how Ayame would respond to the answer she was about to get.

**  
**"For a wide range of services I offered as well as for several costs she caused this household," the middle Tendo girl stated neutrally, her eyes two chips of eyes that betrayed no emotions.

**  
**"I see. That wouldn't coincidentally be keeping quiet about a new fiancée or the other? Charging her for warm water so that she can change back? Hiding her from the so called fiancée-brigade you mentioned? A really nice scope of services, Miss Tendo," Ayame spat acidly.

**  
**"A debt is a debt," Nabiki retorted cooly, her Ice-Queen mask fully in place.

**  
**"How much?" Ayame asked without beating about the bush.

**  
**"Excuse me?" the Ice-Queen asked, not showing her surprise.

**  
**"That was not too hard a question. How much does Ranma's 'debt' amount to in total?" Ayame asked coldly.

**  
**Nabiki reached into the pocket of her jeans and retrieved a red-covered small book. With a look of concentration she paged through it. "That would be 1,500,000 Yen in total."

**  
**"WHAT!" Ranma interjected into the ping-pong match, "There's no way in hell that can be right! Last time I checked with you it were 50,000 Yen!"

**  
**"Care to explain this discrepancy, Miss Tendo?" Ayame inquired with a dangerous look. "I don't like to be ripped of, nor do my employers. And in contrast to Ranma I've got no qualms about making my displeasure known."

**  
**"Oh my!" Kasumi exclaimed worriedly.

**  
**"Is that a threat, Miss Kagote?" Nabiki asked levelly, a delicate brow raised.

**  
**"A fact, Miss Tendo," the older woman replied coldly. "So, how do you explain the discrepancy?"

**  
**"Ranma is right, the debt _was_ down to 50,000 Yen. It goes without saying that it went up after the failed wedding and all the expenses I had," Nabiki stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

**  
**"How dare you shift that on me?" Ranma growled. "I wasn't the one to cause the wedding to go up in smoke, I wasn't the one to destroy the dojo. So, how dare you blame and accost me for the costs?" she added with righteous fury.

**  
**"Simple, Saotome. It were your friends and rivals that trashed our home, that makes _you_ responsible. Your whole prior behaviour, your inability to choose, led up to this, and its only just it is you who pays for it," the middle Tendo daughter explained calmly.

**  
**"I see," Ayame said, speaking up before Ranma could explode; the dark-clad woman reached into her cloak and retrieved a cheque book, scribbled something and handed a cheque to Nabiki. "Here's the money you so obviously crave. Not that you deserve it," she added acidly.

**  
**"That's not up to you to judge," Nabiki retorted without batting a lash at Ayame's less than friendly tone, and looked down to examine the cheque. Her eyes instantly flashed in anger upon what she had found. "Clan Saotome´? Is that some kind of joke?" she asked frostily.

**  
**Ayame's eyes flashed dangerously, daring the younger woman to say more. "If you insult my employers, the Clan I have sworn servitude to, you may find yourself on the receiving end of a lot of unpleasantness. Clan Saotome, in contrast to this sorry excuse for a Saotome," she shot Genma a condescending look, "is more than capable of paying its debts. I suggest you choose your words more carefully in the future, Miss Tendo."

**  
**Nabiki's eyes gleamed and it was quite obvious she didn't take Ayame's words seriously, but a stern glance from Ayame that practically screamed danger stopped her in her tracks. "We know your modus operandi, Miss Tendo. If you try to rip us off you won't like the results. And now that the debt is paid, let me make a few things perfectly clear, so listen, and listen good: if you try to make profit off of Ranma ever again, in any way or form, be it selling her photos in any way or anything else, we'll know. In that case I can promise that you will spend the rest of your life in jail as someone's bitch."

**  
**Nabiki's reaction to the threat was a cold, mocking laugh. "I just love empty threats," she giggled, and her face suddenly twisted from amused to cold. "I have yet to determine if this cheque," she eyed it suspiciously, "is covered. But I highly doubt it. From what I know of the Saotome Clan it's impotent, so your threats mean nothing to me."

**  
**Genma coughed and shook his head rapidly, drawing Nabiki's attention. "As much as I hate to say it, you're wrong, Nabiki, dead wrong," he stated solemnly. "Clan Saotome has more than enough power, money and influence to pull off just about anything."

**  
**Ayame smirked wildly, delighting in seeing the look of confusion on Nabiki's face. "What do you mean, uncle?" she asked, "I thought _you_ were the Head of Clan."

**  
**Genma shook his head in the negative. "No, Nabiki. Things are a bit more complicated than they seem. You see, No-chan's parents never approved of me-"

**  
**"I wonder why," Ayame snorted disdainfully.

**  
**"-and her father nearly kicked No-chan out of the Clan when we made marriage plans. It was only thanks to No-chan's mother that a solution was found. We were allowed to found an independent sub-branch of the Clan with Nodoka as the Head and enforcer of our family honour," the overweight man admitted.

**  
**"Hello, I'm home!" came Nodoka's voice from the front door just when a gobsmacked Nabiki started to realise that she might have been the one to open a can of worms this time around.

**  
**"We're in the living room, mom!" Ranma yelled, eager to find out if what she had just been told was true.

**  
**Steps could be heard, and Nodoka entered the living room a few moments later. "Hello, everyone. I see you've already made Ayame's acquaintance."

**  
**"So it's true," Ranma muttered quietly, almost to herself as she stared at her mother.

**  
**"What is true, my child?" Nodoka asked, sitting down across from her.

**  
**"Everything Ayame has said. That my grandparents want to see me. They know of the curse, and despite that they want to see me," the redhead said in wonder, happiness and sadness intermixed in her voice. "Why did you never tell me that I still have grandparents?"

**  
**"No-chan, is it really necessary to tell the boy? Can't we live on as we always have?" Genma asked almost pleadingly.

**  
**Nodoka looked at him sternly. "No, husband, we cannot. Things have come up that make it impossible to carry on as usual. Our child deserves to know. Ranma," she looked at her son-turned-daughter, "I had personal reasons for keeping quiet about them. I know it was selfish, but I was stubborn and wanted to lead our Clan by myself. You see, when I married your father it caused a friction between my father and me."

**  
**"Friction, mom? What kinda friction?" Ranma asked and leaned forward, eager to learn more.

**  
**Her mother sighed and firmed her jaw. "Both my father and me are very stubborn, my child. He was dead-set against Genma, and I was dead-set on marrying your father. I pushed through in the end with the help of my mother, but as a result father and I haven't talked to each other for over eighteen years. My parents have never met their grandson, or, appropriate to your current gender, their granddaughter. Has Ayame told you that we were allowed to found a sub-branch of Clan Saotome with me as the Clan Head?"

**  
**Ranma nodded, her mother's question overriding her surprise at having implicitly been called a girl by her mother. "Yes. But doesn't that mean that our family honour hasn't been reducee to itsy-bitsy shreds by what Pops has done?"

**  
**"Hey!" Genma exclaimed indignantly, only to be silenced by three sets of glares.

**  
**The Saotome matriarch focussed on her daughter again. "Sadly, no. We are an independent sub-branch of the Clan, and sullies to our honour have to be bared by us and us alone. That was a clause my father insisted upon, and he was obviously wise to include it, seeing how things turned out," she sighed.

**  
**"I see," Ranma said, and she did. "So the fiancée mess continues."

**  
**"I'm afraid so, Ranma. But that is a matter for another time. Now we should get ready to leave," Nodoka said.

**  
**"But what about me?" Genma asked, trying to sound indignant. "Am I not invited?"

**  
**Ayame glared at him. "Do you think you'd survive an encounter with your father-in-law after what you did? Yes," she said, as Genma blanched, "he knows everything. Every little bit of what you did to the grandchild he never came to know. Can you guess that Xenma Saotome is not very pleased?"

**  
**Genma shuddered and nodded slowly, but Ayame was not finished yet. "That is nothing on Lady Saotome. If you ever come within a hundred metres of her she'll rip out your spine and beat you to death with it. She's beside herself because of what you did to her grandchild in the name of training. You might have managed to make Ranma into the best martial artist of her generation, but it is consensus within the Saotome Clan that the cost was way too high. So, need you ask again if you'll have a chance to fill your fat belly at my employers' expense?"

**  
**"N… no," Genma replied and quietly slunk into the background.

**  
**"Good. Mistress, you're more than welcome to join us," Ayame said towards Nodoka with a smile.

**  
**"_Will_ you be coming with us, mom?" Ranma asked hopefully, for she was still unsure of what to expect from her grandparents, and the support of her mother would be more than welcome.

**  
**Nodoka smiled warmly. "Of course, my child. I'm happy that my parents have extended their invitation to me as well. I have decided to let bygones be bygones. Oh, one more thing, my child…"

**  
**"What, mom?"

**  
**"My parents know everything about the curse, and they have got no problem with it; you needn't fear their rejection," Nodoka assured, and smiled at the smile that bloomed on Ranma's face. "Your grandmother issued a special wish, as Ayame has told me: she wants to meet her grand_daughter_," she added, bracing for the impact.

**  
**However, Nabiki's dry laugh quenched any reaction. "Bwahahahaha! That is just too funny. I'll make a killing out of that," she guffawed and wiped away tears of mirth.

**  
**"The heck you will, Miss Tendo," Ayame stated icily. "If you or any of your employers or others associated with you take shots of my mistress you'll find yourself in more trouble than you can imagine; being someone's bitch in jail will be your least worry then. Try to make profit off of her and you'll regret it till the day you die," she promised.

**  
**Kasumi exclaimed an "Oh my!", and Genma looked at Nabiki with a serious expression. "You should listen to her, girl. Agents of my in-laws," he shuddered, "are known to keep their word."

**  
**"Yes," Nodoka added, "my Clan is well known to act or their threats. That has been this way ever since the 16th century. With my Clan superiors involved matters have been taken out of my hands, and slights to my childs' honour will not be tolerated."

**  
**Nabiki looked calculating. "I see. Ranma, I'd like to have a few words with you in my room."

**  
**The redhead looked surprised, but at seeing the urgent look in the other girl's eyes she got up. "Lead the way."

**  
**-.-

**  
**"Saotome," said Nabiki, who had seated herself on her bed, "first off, I didn't say what I said to spite you."

**  
**Ranma snorted, but the middle Tendo daughter carried on as if she hadn't heard the redhead's deragoratory exclamation. "There's an explanation to my behaviour, so bear with me. The reason I acted like a cold, money-grubbing bitch is that I wanted to see how far this Miss Kagote was willing to go. Only this method promised to yield results. If I hurt your feelings in the process, well, that can't be helped," she said bluntly, her tone that of deadly seriousness.

"Go on," Ranma muttered, interested despite herself.

"Saotome, they are willing to do just about anything to have you meet the Clan Heads, your grandparents. Trust me, something is up here. All my instincts are screaming at me that something is _very_ wrong," Nabiki warned urgently.

**  
**The redhead, who'd initially been cross with Nabiki, looked puzzled, her anger forgotten. "So you only said you had first dibs on me tonight 'cause you wanted to see how they'd react? You said all these things about me 'cause you wanted to provoke Ayame?"

**  
**Nabiki nodded, her serious expression not changing one yota. "Yes, Saotome. Come on, you should know me by now. I have my business interests in you, but you'll have to agree that I left you alone most of the time in recent times. When was the last time I did something underhanded to you? And today doesn't count," she smirked.

**  
**Ranma saw nothing but honesty in Nabiki's voice and aura, and she racked her brain to find any such situation in recent times, but couldn't really come up with anything. "You're right. But what makes you so mistrustful? Ayame seems very nice."

**  
**The middle Tendo daughter shook her head. "Saotome, Saotome, this naivety of yours is going to cost you some day. People _always_ have secondary motives, and I have made it my job to find out about those. Trust me, this Ayame _has_ secondary motives. The first clue I had was that she was willing to pay just about every sum to unglue you. I could have demanded 3,000,000 Yen, and she would have paid. The second clue, why _now_? Why after all this time? She said they had been watching you for a long time, so why now if they don't want something out of you? My third clue was your mother. She had this dreamy expression on her face, you know, the one she always gets when she's dreaming about grandchildren. They're planning something, Saotome, and I want you to be careful. Very careful," she said seriously.

**  
**Ranma had been about to dismiss Nabiki's warning, but the serious look in tge other girl's eyes stopped her. Nabiki had used all of her talents to get a realistic impression of Ayame, and had even taken her on - even if only verbally - risking 'a lot of unpleasantness' in the process. She found that she believed that Nabiki had acted, and in the middle Tendo daughter's mind there was apparently enough reason to be cautious. "Okay, Nabiki. I _will_ be cautious. But what do I tell them if they ask me why you wanted to talk to me?"

**  
**Nabiki made a tsking noise. "You really have to use that brain of yours for something other than just Martial Arts, Saotome. Just tell them we had an agreement to terminate a contract we had made, now that your debt has been paid. Tell them I'll no longer be your manager."

**  
**"But you never were in the first place!" Ranma protested.

**  
**"That's for us to know and for them to find out, isn't it?" Nabiki smirked.

**  
**A lightbulb seemed to appear over Ranma's head as the redhead caught on. "Clever," she nodded, and got up from her chair. "I'll go downstairs now, Nabiki. Thanks for the warning, I'll take it seriously."

**  
**Nabiki inclined her head, and her gaze told Ranma that she was dismissed. When the redhead had closed the door the middle Tendo daughter shook her head. "Take care, little bro. I just hope you don't blunder into one of your usual adventures…"

**  
**-.-

**  
**When Ranma arrived downstairs her mother and Ayame were already waiting for her. "What did Nabiki want, Ranma? Did she apologise for her rude behaviour?"

**  
**"Not explicitly, mom," the younger redhead replied and chose to act somewhat airheaded and clueless. "But we ter… terminated that contract we had, now that my debt is paid. You know, that contract that made her my manager."

**  
**"I see, Ranma," Nodoka said with a thoughtful expression.

**  
**Ayame smiled a smile most sharks would have envied. "Too bad she gave in so easily. I'd have loved to show her what Clan Saotome can do. Anyway, she'll never make any profit off of you again, Mistress," she said towards Ranma. "If she tries she'll regret it till the day she dies."

**  
**Ranma had in the meantime realised that Ayame had talked about her. "M… Mistress?" she asked confused.

**  
**The dark-clad woman nodded. "Yes, Ranma-san. You're my Mistress in this form."

**  
**Genma shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose in an apparent attempt at warding off a headache. "I think I'll join Soun in whatever bar he ended up. I need a drink," he muttered darkly and left the living room, inwardly vowing that he'd get really, really plastered.

**  
**"O… Okay." Ranma drawled slowly. "So, grandma wants to meet me in this form, huh? You sure that it's not unmanly, mom?"

**  
**Nodoka winced. "Child, I have thought long and hard about that topic. You have fulfilled the contract and proven that you are a man many times over. Now it's time for me to stop judging you. From now on you shall follow your own judgement and no one else's."

**  
**Ranma nearly toppled over in surprise. "You… You mean it?" she asked, stumped.

**  
**The Saotome matriarch nodded, but her smile didn't reach her eyes. "Yes. You are old enough to hold your own counsel, so go however you want. I won't think it unmanly if you meet my mother as my daughter."

**  
**"Err, who are you and what have you done with my mother?" Ranma asked half-seriously, the change in attitude freaking her out. "That's so… unlike you, mom. Normally it's 'Ranma be manly this, Ranma be manly that,'. What has happened to change that?"

**  
**"I have had an epiphany that put things into perspective, my child. Or is it that you _want_ me to judge you?" Nodoka asked, raising a delicate auburn brow.

**  
**"Kami-sama, no!" the younger redhead exclaimed instantly, presenting warding signs. "No offence, mom, but that was really getting on my nerves!"

**  
**"I see. Now shoo and go get dressed. My parents are expecting us in half an hour at the Ritz in Juuban," Nodoka said with a fake smile to hide her true feelings.

**  
**"Did you say 'dressed', mom?" Ranma asked with growing dread.

**  
**"Yes. The outfit I bought for you four months ago would be fine. I'm sure you remember it."

**  
**Ayame smiled at the expression on Ranma's face. "Yes," the redhead replied testily. "Do I hafta?"

**  
**"Absolutely. We'll be dining in a first-class restaurant, and no child of mine will look like a tramp. Now get a move on," Nodoka commanded.

**  
**"Yes, mom," Ranma sighed and trotted upstairs, muttering curses under her bath. "And here I thought my life couldn't get any worse…"

**  
**Little did Ranma know that her life was about to get a lot worse.

**  
****to be continued**…


	3. Chapter 3

**Title**: Chaotic Rebirth

**Author name**: Trugeta

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ as well as Naoko Takeuchi and many others. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Note further that I don't own any of the trademarks mentioned in this story.

This story takes place after the failed wedding in the Ranma series and the defeat of Galaxia in the Sailor Moon Series. It's an AU, and reviews are welcome and appreciated.

**  
Chapter 3**

**  
**Ranma Saotome, gender-changing prodigal martial artist and permanent resident of the Tendo-ke in the Nerima ward of Tokyo of three years was normally a happy-go-lucky person with a very long fuse. Normally being they key-word here, for lately said long fuse had really been put to the test, and today hadn't been an exception to what was rapidly becoming the norm. In fact, the incident that had put the nineteen year old man-turned-woman in a state of mind she was becoming more and more familiar with as of late and the failed wedding in particular hadn't even consisted of her being chased by all of the fiancées, rivals and suitors and massive property damage as had almost become par for the course, but it hadn't been any less annoying.

The cause of her ire hadn't even been a new one, but the means by which said cause, that being no one other than her mother, had yet again managed to annoy her hadn't been her manliness shtick for a change, but rather her surprising order to dress up for a meeting with her grandparents. Grandparents she hadn't even known she had. Grandparents who wanted to meet her in female form, hence the order to dress up as a teenage girl. Hence her mounting ire that was slowly reaching levels comparable to Akane at her best.

Ranma took a few calming breaths and closed her eyes to get a grip on her emotions, and after deeply breathing in and out for a few minutes she opened her eyes again. She just had to concentrate on that silver lining on the horizon, her grandparents. That she still had living relatives beside her parents was, while surprising, a real chance to - hopefully - interact with 'normal' members of her family (seeing as neither her mother nor her father could be considered normal by a long shot), and surprising revelations being sprung at her left, right and centre had become so much of a routine that she'd taken to taking them in stride. Still having grandparents was comparatively tame anyway considering the strange turns her life was wont to taking. What wasn't fine by a long shot was that her mother - her mother of all people! - had practically ordered her to pretty up in female form.

Ranma shook her head in irritation and continued to grumble to herself, paying her own reflection as shown by the bathroom mirror only half a mind. She admitted to herself that she was looking forward to meeting her grandparents, relatives she had never seen before in her life, but did she have to wear so womanly attire to do so? Surveying the red cocktail dress and equally red high heels her mother had practically ordered her to wear she sighed. Deeply. Repeatedly.

The worst wasn't the very feminine attire but the fact that her outfit was such that she'd had no other choice but to wear a pair of panties underneath her skirt, and not just plain cotton panties, but red lace panties as selected by her mother. It was well known how much effort it had cost her to wear this epitome of all that was feminine during the Moxibustion incident, but it seemed her mother - who _had_ been told this particular story - had just gone crazy as usual when it came to underwear and had provided her with something out of every man's wet dream. Traditional woman her mother may be, but she had really odd quirks when it came to bathing suits and underwear, Ranma thought with a sorrowful shake of her head.

This thought involuntarily guided her musings to another piece of female undergarment she had to wear, to 'give her the proper support', as her mother had said. Ranma shuddered as the thought crossed her mind how Kuno would react if he ever saw her like this and forcefully shook her head to shoo away said nightmarish scenario, returning to cursing the injustice of it all. She had fumbled with the clasps for five minutes straight - five whole minutes! - and had barely managed to get the bra on, and the darn thing was still uncomfortable as hell. Ranma asked herself for the umpteenth time how girls could wear contraptions this uncomfortable, and considered herself lucky that she didn't belong to the unlucky ones who had to do so regularly. The attire wasn't the only thing that served to irritate her, though, for her mother had also insisted that she wore earrings and make-up. Should Nabiki - despite her reassurances - take shots of her it'd make her day. Not.

The only redeeming part was the chance to meet her grandparents, who were, according to Ayame, normal people without such strange quirks as her parents possessed; due to Ayame's reassurances she was also hopeful that the older Saotomes would really welcome her with open arms and accept her as she was. This was also the main reason why she had chosen to go along with her grandmother's wishes. The desire to finally meet someone of her family who'd accept her as she was, curse and all, even if she initially had to be a girl to do so was great, and if they really did, who knew, maybe her mother would as well. Ayame had revealed that her grandmother had looked very much like her female half in her younger days, so Ranma naturally suspected that her granny wanted to see for herself if this was true. Why that couldn't be done by turning into a girl on site eluded her, but the anticipation to meet her grandparents pushed that thought to the back of her mind.

Another incentive had been born from the realisation that her mother had still not accepted her as she was, despite her claims to the contrary, and now she'd 'go along' and be as real a girl as she could manage just to spite her mother. It would be funny to see how she would react to her acting like a real girl would, and even if it was kind of mean, it would be well deserved payback for the manliness hell her mother had put her through. That her mother couldn't reprimand her was just an added bonus.

Looking at herself in the mirror and really looking this time Ranma carefully applied make-up, just a little mascara here and shadow there to highlight her natural features. Taking a deep breath after she was finished the redhead gave herself a mental pep talk, telling herself she shouldn't be bothered by going out like this as it was just another disguise as well as a free ticket to pay her mother back.

Ranma scowled as her thoughts dwelled on something she had noticed right off the bat. Her mother may have claimed that she could hold her own counsel from now on, but she knew she hadn't really meant it. Her mother's ki had given her away, which meant she was still as hung up on manliness as ever and continued to cling to her own plans. _Nothing_ had changed.

Ever since she'd come to know that she still had a mother she had constantly fought to be acknowledged by her, and that still hadn't happened. Add to that that her mother wanted to use her for her own gains, much like her father, only that her goals lay in becoming a (multiple) grandmother as soon as possible. It was Ranma's vain hope that she'd gain access to her mother through meeting her grandparents, maybe they could help convince her that there were things more important than being 'manly'.

Grumbling about 'stupid manliness' Ranma added the finishing touches and gave herself a once over in the mirror; finding that she was properly attired and as well prepared as could be expected the redheaded boy-turned-girl made her way downstairs. **'It's good that Akane can't see me like this. She'd have a stroke and mallet me to the Moon for being a pervert. Or get insanely jealous,'** were her amused thoughts.

Stepping into the living room Ranma immediately locked eyes with her mother and gave her her best puppy-dog expression. "Do I really hafta go like this, mom? I mean, those clothes are a-okay," she said and twirled her red cocktail dress in a sexy way which made her mother visibly twitch, "but this bra is really killing me!" she lamented. "Don't you have a more comfy one for me to wear?" she added, hoping to get even more of a rise out of her mother.

Nodoka visibly struggled to keep her countenance, but managed to keep her face impassive due to years of experience safe for a twitch of her left eye. "No, Ranma-chan, your underwear has been carefully selected in accordance with your other clothes. I'm sure you'll get used to it in no time."

Ranma barely managed to suppress the satisfied grin that wanted to appear on her face at finding that she _had_ unsettled her mother. "If you say so, mom," she fake-sighed, making a show of adjusting her bra.

Nodoka stepped behind her son-turned-daughter, an obviously forced smile on her face. "Here, let me help you, dear," she said and set to work on readjusting the bra straps, although the smile didn't stretch to her voice.

Few moments later a heart-felt sigh of relief escaped Ranma-chan and Nodoka walked to stand beside Ayame. "That's much better. Thanks, mom, you'll really have to show me how to put those on properly."

Twitching increased, and Ranma hid her smirk. "Mom, I'm kinda hungry… Can we go now?"

"Ayame informed me that our limo will arrive any moment now, Ranma-chan. Oh, and please try to stick to the table-manners Kasumi and I have tried to teach you once we are at the restaurant. You surely don't want to embarrass us in front of my parents, do you?" Nodoka asked with an undertone that suggested the expected answer.

"No, mom, of course not," Ranma retorted fake-earnestly, pasting her best butter-wouldn't-melt-in-my-mouth-look on her face.

The younger redhead had just barely managed to keep her face straight and helped herself to a glass of water when the honk of a horn could be heard from the outside. Nodoka got up dignifiedly. "That's probably the limo. Come on, daughter."

Ayame inwardly rejoiced that Nodoka had apparently finally managed to accept what was to happen, for that she had called Ranma 'daughter' had surely not been easy for her. Or had it just been an act? Either way, she'd carefully observe and draw her conclusions, as always. However, looking at Ranma and seeing her unperturbed expression Ayame was surprised to see that the younger redhead was not put out by Nodoka's use of 'daughter' at all, as she would have expected. Add to that that the behaviour she had just witnessed between mother and daughter had been... strange, to say the least. Further observation was definitely called for, but she'd have done that anyway.

**-.-**

Ranma had decided to let her mother off the hook as she deemed the overwhelming success at annoying her suffice for the time being, and switched from oblivious to happy-go-lucky. It would be very interesting to see how her mother would deal with a certain problem, though, and Ranma pasted her best thoughtful expression on her face. "Mom, there's something that occurred to me... What about the danger that hot fluids might accidentally change me back? Now that would be really embarrassing," she muttered and shuddered, carefully watching her mother's reaction; although, the vision of her male side in a damn hot cocktail dress with matching panties and bra was something that made her shudder, and the thought of what form-fitting panties would do to suddenly restored male anatomy made her cringe for real.

Her mother looked horrified for a moment as similar thoughts were no doubt running through her mind, but then her look switched to thoughtful. "I hadn't thought of that, daughter. Hmm, let me think," she put a hand to her chin, then snatched her fingers a few moments later. "Ranma, you told me about that Soul of Ice technique you learned. Would it be possible to modify it so that it would chill the air around you once the meal was served, ultimately freezing any hot fluid that might come in contact with your aura?"

The redhead looked thoughtful for a moment, then she grinned broadly, managing to keep her happy-go-lucky-mask in place. "Yes, I can do that. I'd have to focus hard to create a shield around me so that I won't cool the whole room, but it should work. Cool idea, mom!"

"Thanks, daughter," Nodoka replied modestly.

"There's just one problem, mom... I'd have to keep it up at all times. That will be… taxing. And I might still end up cooling the whole room," Ranma mused, a finger resting on her chin.

Ayame waved her concerns away. "This is of no concern, Mistress. Your grandparents are used to variable and extreme temperatures. It was part of their training. And seeing as we'll have a room to ourselves it's nothing to worry about."

"Oh, okay," Ranma said with a shrug.

Nodoka nodded. "Good. Let's take our leave then. I'm sure my parents will already be waiting."

The Saotome matriarch walked towards the door, Ranma and Ayame on her heels. "Don't wait for us, Kasumi," Nodoka called towards the kitchen. "It'll probably get late, and we might even sleep at Saotome manor."

"Okay, Auntie. I'll be sure to tell Uncle," came Kasumi's reply from the kitchen.

"Thanks, dear. Until later."

"Bye, Auntie," Kasumi called, and once the other three women had stepped outside she quietly muttered, "I hope everything goes well for you, little brother, but something tells me that it won't. I have a very bad feeling about this."

-.-

The drive to the Ritz was quite uneventful by anyone's standard, which was unsurprising seeing as Nabiki hadn't sold Ranma's destination to the NWC. Ranma and her mother were seated in the backseat, while Ayame had chosen the seat beside the driver. The armoured black limo offered every luxury imaginable, from TV over champagne to truffles, and the younger redhead, curious as ever, tried out the 42'' plasma TV. She soon grew bored with the 'useless stuff', seeing as she'd never really been one to watch TV in the first place, and took to questioning her mother and Ayame about her grandparents instead.

It was Ayame who answered, and the agent gave her the official version, that her grandfather, Xenma Saotome, was fifty-nine years old, held mastery in thirteen martial arts categories, was proficient at wielding at least ten weapons at master level and was all around a tough bastard. Ranma laughed at Ayame's bluntness, and from what she'd observed of the raven-haired woman she knew that she was not prone to exaggeration, which was why she was very much looking forward to meeting her grandfather, and she anticipated matching her skills with him.

According to Ayame her grandmother was a Gaijin woman named Lara, a Gaijin who had at that time managed to impress her later in-laws so much that she had instantly been accepted into the family. The red hair that now ran in the female side of the Saotome line was a trait of hers, which meant very strong genes on her part. Lara Saotome was fifty-four years old, and held many masteries in many an art, just like her husband, yet she had also focussed on honing and perfecting her skills where it came to modern weaponry, which had something to do with her former profession. Upon questioning what profession that was Ayame had just smiled and refused to elaborate.

The drive soon came to an end, and Ayame escorted a gaping Ranma and a dignified Nodoka into the Ritz. Once the younger redhead had managed to rewind her jaw the trio passed the lobby and marched straight towards the restaurant, led by Ayame who obviously knew her way around here. The dark-clad woman opened a side-door and held it open to allow Ranma and her mother entry. The younger redhead cautiously stepped into the darkened room, and routinely made a room-sweep to gauge potential risks and routes of escape. The back room they had entered was nearly lavish in its luxury, and the full range of services was assured through a sliding door that apparently led directly to the kitchens. Having finished her room-sweep in under a second Ranma's gaze fell on the two occupants of the room; the redhead had already felt their gazes upon her mother and herself, but mainly on her.

Pretending to admire the interior of the room Ranma surveyed them as unobtrusively as possible, knowing full well she'd only have a few seconds before her mother would start walking towards her parents, and she planned to use these seconds well; she surveyed her grandfather Xenma first, and noticed that Ayame had not exaggerated. Xenma was a fit and healthy looking man, and his thick cords of muscle and built made him look like a bear. His brown eyes were alert and shining with intelligence, but had a friendliness to them as well. Ranma noticed right away that he'd be a challenging sparring partner alright.

Ranma's focus switched to her grandmother, and found Ayame's statement that Lara Saotome looked very much like her mother and her herself in her female form to be true, with the slight difference that she was a little bit shorter than Nodoka, maybe by about five centimetres. But her bust-line... **'Ayame was right… now I know after whom I take in this form. Hers gotta be at least as big as mine, if not more so!'** the redhead thought.

Lara's hair was still of a vivid red, which was surprising considering her age, and Ranma found other signs that her grandmother was obviously aging well. The older Saotome's lean and muscular build resembled that of her own female form verily and was almost as well defined. Through surveying Lara Saotome further Ranma came to the conclusion that she had to be an able martial artist, for her whole posture and the fact that she had hidden her aura were a dead-giveaway. But her blue eyes, much like Xenma's, held a certain friendliness to them that was often associated with good people. The young redhead dearly hoped that her grandparents were not the exception from the rule.

Ranma had just finished surveying her grandparents when her mother started walking towards them, and she noticed how regal her mother walked, proudly, nearly defiant. Shrugging internally Ranma followed her mother's lead, absently noting that Ayame remained routed to the spot near the sole exit aside from the escape-route via the kitchens. **'Stop it, Ranma!'** the redhead chided herself.** 'I'm in no danger here, they are my grandparents, for cryin' out loud! So relax.'**

"Mother, Father," Nodoka began, bowing down only as much as common courtesy demanded, "it's good to see you again."

"I agree, daughter," retorted Xenma in a rich baritone, his face neutral and devoid of emotions. "It has been... long."

"Xenma, stop acting like a block of ice," Lara chided and swatted him on the arm before getting up from behind the circular table Xenma and she were seated at. She stepped in front of Nodoka and hugged her, who stiffened briefly before returning the hug "Hello, No-chan. It has been too long," she almost whispered, blinking a few tears away.

Ranma watched all this in silence, and took an instant liking to her grandmother. Lara Saotome seemed to be... nice. Xenma she couldn't really evaluate as of yet, the knowledge she had gained through her prior observations aside. She had just switched her attention back to Xenma when her grandfather chuckled. "Woman, you have always been too emotional," he said with humour.

Lara batted her lashes at him. "That's a woman's prerogative. Besides, that's why you love me."

Xenma chuckled anew and inclined his head. "True, true," he allowed and got up himself. With a few steps he was standing in front of Nodoka. "It's good to see you, No-chan. Even if I still say your marriage to Genma Yamada was a mistake, I see that he got at least something right."

His vista turned to Ranma. "You must be Ranma," he stated in his baritone and laced the teen with a powerful gaze.

"Yes," the redhead replied and met the gaze unflinchingly, almost challengingly.

"Xenma, don't scare the poor dear!" Lara exclaimed indignantly and loosened out of the hug to puff her husband into the side.

"Hey, I ain't scared of nothing!" Ranma retorted with a glare.

"She has the typical Saotome fire. Good," Xenma commented with a satisfied nod.

Lara shook her head and stepped in front of Ranma. Before the younger redhead knew what was going on she was drawn into a crushing hug by her surprisingly strong grandmother. "Hello dear, I'm Lara, your grandmother. I'm happy to meet you after all these years! And my, you look lovely!"

Ranma on her part was slowly turning blue. "Air... long white tunnel... pearly gates opening wide..."

Xenma chuckled, his brown eyes twinkling. "Ease up on the poor dear, honey. She's already turning violet."

Lara let go of Ranma and managed not to blush, a remarkable feat in the youngest redhead's opinion. "T... Thanks," she wheezed as she drew much needed oxygen into her lungs. "I think I have seen an angel or two."

Xenma chuckled once again. "You have to forgive your grandmother. Seventeen years of looking forward to meeting you have made her a bit overenthusiastic. But I admit to sharing her enthusiasm."

Ranma stepped back and made warding gestures. "If you try to hug me like that I'll have to hurt you. I ain't gonna survive another one like this."

Xenma shook his head and laughed. "Don't worry, Ranma, I'm not into the touchy feely stuff," the Head of Clan Saotome said and embraced Ranma lightly in a brief hug. "It's good to finally meet you."

"You too, grandfather," replied the youngest redhead in the room with a smile.

"Before we get all sappy and teary eyed I say we eat," Xenma suggested and clapped into his hands, "I'm sure you have many questions, as do we."

Ranma nodded in agreement, and the quartet sat down around the circular table. Xenma rung a bell, and half a minute later a waiter appeared and took their orders. From thereon the talk progressed, and Ranma learned just how often agents of her grandparents had missed them on the training trip. Her grandparents knew indeed everything, from the various training methods to the curse and the whole situation in Nerima.

Upon Ranma's baffled question how long she'd been watched Lara answered, "Ever since your initial arrival in Nerima. Our agents had lost track of you in China after Jusenkyo where we were just hours too late to catch up to you, but we caught your trail again soon afterwards."

"You were at Jusenkyo?" Ranma almost yelled, worry shining in her eyes.

Lara shook her head and smiled sheepishly. "Excuse my imprecise choice of words, Ranma. I meant our agents, not us. Jusenkyo wasn't a complete failure on our part, though. The self-updating registry of Jusenkyo victims was most helpful," she explained with a wolfish smile.

Ranma breathed a silent sigh of relief. "I can imagine," she then muttered darkly, her brows furrowing as she remembered the first Taro incident. "But please tell me that none of your agents got cursed."

Xenma and Lara shared a look that conveyed how impressed they were that Ranma was so compassionate even considering what she had been through, just as the reports had made her out to be. "We had a team of five agents on site. Two of them got cursed," the Saotome patriarch admitted, her face carefully neutral.

"Damn!" Ranma growled, smacking a fist into her palm. "Another two lives ruined..."

Lara reached out and took Ranma's hands into her own. "It is not your fault, Ranma," she said sternly, well knowing how Ranma ticked. "Our agents had their orders, and they knew about the dangers of their profession. That aside, the curses they received are very useful."

"That they are," Xenma agreed, his rich baritone drawing Ranma's attention, "My wife is right, no one is to blame, Ranma. If anyone is it's your father, thoughtless fool that he is."

"Pops ain't that bad," Ranma protested, but even to her ears it sounded weak seeing as she knew exactly how thoughtless her father could be.

Xenma snorted and raised a mocking brow. "No? Granted, a man with good intentions he may be," he allowed, but narrowed his eyes, "but the way to hell is paved with aforementioned intentions. I'm certain he never planned to fly as far off the handle as he did, but he did some _very_ idiotic things, the Neko-ken being the most glaring example.

"Should your father and I ever meet again I'd be forced to have him grow a brain, right after I beat him to a bloody pulp. His unthinking acts have cost the sub-branch of Clan Saotome I allowed my daughter to found quite a lot."

Ranma mulled Xenma's words over and couldn't deny that her father had bungled up a lot of things, and inclined her head, muttering, "Stupid is Pops' middle name."

"I can't deny it, father. Husband managed to make quite the mess of things," Nodoka sighed and held her head bowed for a moment before meeting Xenma's gaze again. "I only hope that I'll find a way to resolve things, but it has proven to be a trying task."

Xenma, Lara and Ranma nodded in sympathetic understanding, the latter immersing in a introspective mood that almost drifted to depression due to the fact that her mother's admission had driven home that even she knew that her situation had not improved at all since Jusendo and had in fact only gotten worse. The redhead's mood was lifted a bit when dinner arrived, and as suggested by her mother beforehand she began to chill the air around her. Naturally her grandparents noticed, and Ranma explained what she was doing.

Xenma and Lara nodded, both obviously impressed, and the Saotome patriarch spoke up first. "Quite the ingenious technique, Ranma. Is this part of what you used at Jusendo?"

Ranma nodded, carefully hiding her surprise. "Wow, you're well informed. Your agents?"

Xenma nodded, and a scowl briefly showed on his face. "I must admit they couldn't have done much to help you seeing as they had strict orders to remain hidden and were outclassed by far. But what they were able to observe was the quote 'most spectacular display of skill and technique' they have ever seen."

Ranma limited her reaction to a modest inclination of her head and leaned forward, curiosity apparent on her face. "There's something I'd like to know. How exactly were your agents able to remain hidden, at Jusendo and Nerima? I mean, it must have been darn difficult in Nerima with the old ghoul and the old lech around. They ain't grandmaster and Elder for naught."

The Saotome patriarch nodded in what Ranma interpreted as grudging respect. "Those two are indeed very talented warriors, and had it not been for our equipment they would have caught us easily, many times. No, it is no technique," he explained and smiled apologetically when he saw Ranma's face fall, "but a cloaking device based on technology that is very advanced. That is how our agents remained undetected, even at Jusendo."

Ranma nodded in understanding, recognising the benefits of such a gadget. "I see. Must be damn useful, that cloaking thingy, especially for people who want to spy on Grandmaster level martial artists."

"Oh yes," agreed Xenma with a chuckle. "We would have been in a fix many a time without it. Especially at Jusendo, considering this winged man's power."

Ranma gave her grandfather a wan smile. "You can say that again. He could have easily blown up Tokyo without even trying."

"Ayame mentioned this 'Jusendo' as well. What exactly happened there?" Nodoka wanted to know, looking from her parents to her daughter.

Ranma sighed once more. Then, with a conscious effort, she used some of her soul of ice to calm herself and launched into the complete story of what had begun in Nerima with Plum's arrival and had ended with her victory over Saffron and the de facto destruction of Jusenkyo. The redhead helped herself to food all the while and tried to enact table-manners, but in face of such a tale she could probably have gotten away with eating like a barbarian. A tale that had obviously ensnared her three relatives, who, Ranma noted, were looking positively astounded, her mother most of all.

"You really killed a God?" Nodoka asked incredulously, astonishment clearly written on her face.

This was quite understandable, after all, it was not every day that your child, even someone leading such a chaotic life as her son-turned-daughter told you that she'd killed a freaking God. Looking at her parents Nodoka noticed that they looked likewise astonished. Her daughter on her part looked sheepish, a strong indicator that her tale was not exaggerated.

"That… man you fought, the one with wings, he was a God?" Lara asked, her delicate scarlet brows almost climbing into the hairline.

Ranma nodded sheepishly. "Or as close to a God as you can get. His name was… is Saffron. He's worshipped as a God in his tribe, the Phoenix people, and even the Amazons recognize him as a demi-God. His powers… boy, they were nothing to sneeze at. He was not very impressive in the physical department seeing as I managed to beat him like a drum, but as said, that guy could have toasted Tokyo without breaking a sweat just with his fireballs. And that damn regeneration of his… it was damn near unbeatable."

"But you won in the end, obviously," Xenma stated, something shining in his eyes; Ranma thought it was pride, but she couldn't be certain.

"Yes," the redhead replied, and shook her head in a way that conveyed she still found it hard to believe as well, "through a combination of luck and skill. I admit that I was extremely lucky."

Nodoka looked at her daughter with obvious pride in her eyes. "Be it as it is, my daughter killed a God! You're so manly!" she gushed, her episode making her miss Ranma rolling her eyes.

"No-chan," her father chided, "what have I told you about this manliness crap? Yes," he said, as Nodoka looked confused, "this crap has no place in our Clan, neither in the main Clan nor in your sub-branch. I can not consent to something straight out of a very bad Samurai novel."

"Your father is right, No-chan," Lara added, her face stern and unforgiving. "I have acquired a copy of the contract, and it made my insides lurch and my blood boil. The terms of the contract were so vague and open to interpretation you could have demanded anything of Ranma. It was all bound to your views on manliness, and my agents have told me that those are questionable at best. Ah, ah, don't you dare object, young lady! I could go to court with what I have and would get guardianship of my granddaughter in no time.

"No," she continued at seeing the pleading look in Nodoka's eyes, "I won't resort to doing that, No-chan. Not after what Genma put you through, thoughtless as he is. Let's just say that your views on manliness are something for the rubbish heap of history and leave it at that. From now on I want you to treat Ranma according to form. I for my part love my granddaughter Ranma just as much as my grandson," Lara finished, smiling at Ranma.

Said redhead was confused and delighted to equal parts; her confusion was rooted therein that her grandparents really seemed to view her as their granddaughter in this form, which was a very strange concept for her. Granted, she'd accepted the curse after Jusendo, but to be downright treated as a girl… it freaked her out. On the other hand, she was delighted that her grandparents obviously loved her, she could tell it both from their body language and auras. If they were not the best actors in the world (plus it was very hard to fake auras) they were telling the truth. And lovestarved as she was her delight overrid her confusion.

"Thanks, grandma," she said with a small smile. "I'm glad that mom will try to let go of her manliness shtick in the future, for I don't want to be manly with any of my fiancées."

That caused an exclamation of shock from Nodoka. "Why ever not, Ranma?" she asked, clearly worried.

Ranma sighed inwardly and kept the deep frown from appearing on her face with difficulty; that her mother seemed to go into shock over learning that she didn't want to do the 'manly' thing with any of her fiancées proved that she was still as hung up on manliness as ever. Schooling her features she fixated her mother with an intent gaze to show her how serious she was. "The only one I would have considered was Akane. As for the others..." she began ticking off fingers, and her face became an expressionless mask. "You know, Ukyo is like a sister to me, and I can't be manly with my sister now, can I?"

Finger number two. "Shampoo... I mean she's cute and all, can cook and fight, but I can't really imagine a life with her. She always comes on too strongly, and that so turns me off. And I'd never want to live in her village, regardless of how good they'd promise to treat me there."

Ranma then pretended to think for a moment. "Marrying her and staying in Japan... considering my luck I'd drive the Nekohanten into the ground within a month; besides, I really doubt that she'd be willing to stay in Japan. No, it'd be 'Airen has to come live in village,'. Then there's that she wanted to kill 'girl-type Ranma'... she hunted me for months, and I can't forget that. Not to forget her curse... brrrrrrrr! And if that's not enough there's always Mousse, the Shampoo-obsessed myopic duck-boy who'd love nothing more than to kill the perceived obstacle to Shampoo's heart, namely me … no, I don't wanna marry her."

Finger number three. "Kodachi... I almost don't wanna go there," she muttered with a shudder. "Regardless of how often pops tries to engage me to her 'cause of her money, I'll never marry that nutjob. I mean, that crazy chick tries to marry my male half and wants to kill my female half! She's too far gone to grasp that I'm both, and I doubt she'll ever get it. Nope, don't wanna wake up with a dagger in my heart just 'cause my curse got activated. No way am I gonna marry her."

Fingers four and five. "Nabiki and Kasumi... I won't go in depth, I'll just say that I see both as my sisters, and same as Ukyo, I could never marry one of my sisters."

Finger number one, different hand. The last, and incidentally most difficult fiancée. "Akane..." Ranma sighed, almost forlornly. "She is cute, at least when it comes to her looks, she's also honest and brave. I think I loved her once, but… but in all the time, in all of the three years I've known her she hasn't changed one bit; she never let go of her jealousy, mom. You know, she always claimed she didn't care, but malleted me to the other end of the globe whenever the other girls made a move on me. And her trust in me… Don't even get me started. Heck, maybe I'm a coward for not admitting that I loved her when I still did, and maybe things would now be different if I had, but she never admitted that she loved me either."

"So you thought that she was cute… why did you always call her a 'kawaiikune tomboy' then? You must have known that this is a severe blow to a girls' ego, dear," Nodoka said and gave her son-turned-daughter an inquisitive look that was slightly disapproving.

Ranma exhaled deeply before meeting her mother's eyes. "Yeah, mom. I thought her cute, and she really looks like an angel when she smiles, but… but her temper and jealousy... that's what makes her so dang uncute, that's why I always called her an uncute tomboy. She has lost her temper so often, and always at me," the redhead concluded sadly.

"From what I've witnessed at the dojo I must say that you don't always make it easy on Akane," Nodoka replied thoughtfully, but added, "But I must say, her way of dealing with your smart-mouth left a lot to be desired…"

Ranma snorted inelegantly. "You can say that again, mom. I know I ain't perfect, far from it, but why did she have to clobber me for the tiniest bits? You know, mom, I let her hit me. When she realised just how good I am I saw fear in her eyes. Fear that I could take whatever I wanted to take from her; heck, I'm half girl, I'd never do something like that! I thought she was cute, and thought if I allowed her to hit me she'd see that she needn't fear me. Now I know that it was stupid, but one does stupid things for cute girls."

Nodoka smiled for a moment, but her expression turned serious quickly. "I see. Did Akane really hit you that often? I thought she was a nice girl."

"Nice in the aspect that she's helpful, brave and sticks to those who need help, at least according to our reports." Xenma said in Ranma's stead. "But this girl is unfit as a fiancée for Ranma. Her temper and jealousy aside, which are worse than my dear granddaughter described, she made the mistake to trust the word of others above that of Ranma without hearing Ranma's side. That is completely unacceptable for affianced people."

Nodoka took a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly. "Is this true, Ranma?" she asked.

The redhead nodded slowly, nearly imperceptibly. "Yes, mom." she sighed.

"It's worse than that, No-chan," Lara added in a voice so low and foreboding it caught her daughter's attention easily, "I'm sure you know Ryoga Hibiki?"

Nodoka cursed contemptuously under her breath. "Yes," she growled. "Ayame enlightened me."

Lara, who had been undecided between congratulating her daughter to her creativity and inventiveness and washing her mouth out with soap decided to do neither and nodded grimly. "Good, daughter. I have read the reports myself, of course, and one can trust their accuracy."

"There's also an important fact to be gleaned from these reports," Xenma carried on seamlessly, "Hibiki nearly killed Akane Tendo in their initial meeting, and despite that she developed unwavering trust in him in the following months. In fact, she listened to him more in these past three years than to her own fiancé. Granted, Hibiki used knowledge he had acquired in his cursed form, but this is the most glaring example for Akane Tendos distrust," he concluded gravely.

"And without trust there cannot be a working relationship," Lara added in a knowing and serious tone. "Trust is one of the pillars of a relationship, and without it even love can not prevent said relationship from crumbling to dust."

Nodoka tilted her head in silent agreement. She was still reeling from what she had just learned, and it was a foregone conclusion that none of her son's fiancées were fit to be called such. Indeed, as things were her son was better of without them, especially as it was plain as daylight that Soun's youngest had still a lot of maturing ahead of her; much like her own child. "Maybe it was for the best that the engagement was resolved. It would have been a lot harder on everyone had the relationship broken apart a few years into a marriage. But let us talk about more pleasant topics. The company is much too enjoyable to delve further into these troublesome topics, and I'm sure you're still hungry, dear."

Ranma smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. The beef stroganoff was really good. And the shrimps. And the potato gratin. And the Cesar's Salad. And..."

"We get the image, daughter," a chuckling Nodoka said, her eyes twinkling.

"Eat whatever you like, Ranma. You're a growing girl after all," Lara commented with a smile. "God knows I ate as much when I was your age, and your dear mother wasn't any better, isn't that right, No-chan?"

Nodoka smiled faintly. "That was a life-time ago, but yes, I loved to eat and still do. Only good that I inherited your genes and looks, mother," she mused with a far-away look, and snapped her gaze on Ranma.

"Which seems to have been passed on on Ranma-chan here, much to her luck. Imagine she'd take after Genma," Lara mused with a minute shudder.

"Some things are better not to be dwelled on overly," Xenma commented in a dark tone, and sipped the tea he had helped himself to slowly, blowing a little on the hot liquid. "But it is as my dear wife and daughter said, you're a growing girl and need your food. So go help yourself."

"Err... yeah, sure," Ranma replied a bit weirded out at having her mother and grandparents referring to her as a girl and dinged to gain the waiters attention.

Said waiter appeared a few seconds later. "You rang, Miss?"

"Yes," the redhead replied, automatically switching into her kawaii as a thousand buttons look that always guaranteed her extra helpings, "I'd like to have the shrimps, beef stroganoff, Cesar's Salad, potato gratin, meat loaf and the frutti di mare. On second thought, I take all of that doubly. And a large coke please."

The waiter carefully hid his surprise. "Will that be all, Miss...?"

"Ranma," the redhead said graciously and batted her lashes to annoy her mother. "Yes, that's all."

"Right away, Miss Ranma," the waiter nodded with a ghost of a smile and made to leave towards the kitchen.

"One moment, Carlo, my granddaughter will also take the specialty of the house. I'm sure it will be to her liking," Xenma added, giving him an unseen wink.

Carlo nodded in response and left for the kitchen. Nodoka looked at her daughter in surprise. "I didn't know you were such a flirt, dear."

Ranma smirked in reply and batted her lashes again, hoping to rile up her mother even more. "Aww, that was nothing, mom. You've got no idea how often I've used my looks to nick extra helpings and bigger portions. Works especially well at ice-cream parlours."

Lara grinned mischievously and looked from granddaughter to daughter. "Like mother, like daughter. Isn't it so, No-chan?"

Nodoka blushed and looked at her feet. "That was so long ago, mother. It isn't even worth mentioning."

"I beg to differ, No-chan. Why shouldn't your daughter learn after whom she's taking?" teased Lara good-naturedly.

Ranma on her part was baffled. "Mom? Mom did something like that?" she asked incredulously.

"Oh yes," Lara smirked, "she had a reputation for being the biggest flirt in the neighbourhood. Had you been born a girl I'm sure you'd have given her a run for her money, though, considering your performance just now."

"The apple has obviously not fallen far off..." Xenma mused with a faint smile and sipped his tea.

The three females exchanged looks before shrugging, then smiled softly and didn't disagree with him.

From then on out the quartet engaged in small talk as they waited for Ranma's food, and continued their conversation when dinner was served. Ranma learned a lot about her mother during the talk, but also about her grandparents. She found she really began to like them, and to be in the company of so openminded people was a refreshing and very welcome change for her. No one had insulted her as a freak or disgrace for over an hour or demanded that she change back into a boy. Here she could be herself, not a boy, not a girl, but just Ranma. Even the unfamiliar feel of female attire had slowly faded, and she found herself enjoying the evening very much. Maybe life was not just as bad as she'd thought after all…

An hour later Ranma had finished the meal and had even found space for the excellent dessert, a German speciality called Herrencreme, the specialty of the house her grandfather had ordered for her. The meal itself had been one of the best she had ever eaten, but the dessert had really topped it all.

Filled and satisfied Ranma was lulled by the small talk and the discreet music that originated from hidden loudspeakers, and laid her head onto the table. She didn't really fight the sleep that rolled over her in waves. **'A short nap will do me some good,'** was her last conscious thought before sleep claimed her, whisking her off into the land of nod.

-.-

Three Saotomes looked at each other and then at the forth, who was currently sound asleep and snoring like a lumberjack, her head resting on the table courtesy of specifically designed knockout-drops Ranma's dessert had been laced with. Clan Saotomes' head senior physician had assured them that the drops would be more than enough to keep Ranma asleep for several hours, and considering their senior physicians' experience the required results were guaranteed.

"I really _hate_ that we have to force her through this." Lara commented and frowned softly. "I've barely known her for two hours, yet I've already embosomed her completely."

"I know, I feel the same" Xenma said and rested his right hand on his wife's shoulders, squeezing it gently. "She is strong and untameable, I could see it in her eyes. But we must proceed with caution, or our enterprise could very well break her. Some horses cannot be tamed, but sadly they can be broken, stealing their will to live."

"Nothing can break my Ranma." Nodoka stated proudly. "He'll give birth to Neo-Queen Serenity and then be my manly son again. I'll be the grandmother of a Queen…" she whispered dreamily.

"So your whole attitude was a façade..." Lara muttered, a deep frown on her face. "And I had such high hopes after Ayame's report," she added in a sad and disappointed tone.

"Nodoka!" Xenma barked, and his tone of voice told his wife that a shouting match was about to occur. Well, she would just lean back to see if Xenma still had it in him. Seeing that her hands-off approach hadn't yielded results Nodoka didn't deserve any less than her husband in top-form. "Come out of this damn dreamworld or I'll kick your ass so bad that it'll still hurt when your granddaughter the Queen celebrates her three-hundredth birthday! Have these eighteen years in which I've not seen you addled your brain?" the Head of Clan Saotome demanded acidly.

The younger Saotome reared back as if she'd been hit. "Father," she began, redfaced, "I'm old enough to determine what the best is for my manly son! I…"

"Fail to realise that you have a daughter, stupid! Look, she's right here in front of your eyes! This… is… a… girl! She may have been born a boy, my grandson, but in this form she is a girl!" Xenma barked.

"Nothing that some warm water couldn't remedy," Nodoka retorted defiantly and crossed her arms underneath her chest.

"Do you really _hate_ your daughter Ranma so much? The curse won't disappear just like that! We have searched the whole wide world, there… is… no… cure! Ranma will _always_ be half-girl, and the sooner you accept it, the better! I have sworn not to interfere in your business, but if you mistreat my grandchild any further with your stupidity my hand will be forced. Provided Ranma accepts what our senior physicians and we provide her with I might be forced to take her to live with us permanently. I won't have a danger to her health during such a precarious phase, and the way you are now you are a danger to her mental health," Xenma stated with utter finality.

"And what is so different about _your_ plans, father? You want to force a pregnancy on my son! If that's not mistreatment then I don't know!" Nodoka shot back icily.

Xenma was about to retort when Lara laid a hand on his arm. "Xen, No-chan is right. She may have very screwed-up ideas of gender ideals, but our plan _is_ as screwed-up. Maybe we should really ask for Ranma's cooperation first."

"But what if she refuses? She sees herself as a man even in girl-form, we know that from the reports, and that makes it very likely that she _will _refuse. You know as well as I do that there is no alternative. Ranma has to carry the Queen, or the world is doomed," Xenma replied and massaged his temples.

Lara sighed and smiled bitterly. "I really hate this plan, Xen, but sadly, you're right. There _is_ no alternative. But please, let us ask Ranma first after she wakes up, maybe, just maybe she will accept if we appeal to her honour code. As much as I hate to use her honour against her, it might be the only way."

"Okay, honey. But if _you_," he fixed his daughter with an intent stare, "continue to hold Ranma to your idiotic standards of manliness I will get guardianship of her, and you know I have enough pull to see it through."

Nodoka realised that her father meant business, and she knew for a fact that he _had_ more than enough pull to carry out his threats. But she wasn't a Saotome for nothing. Saotomes didn't give up. "You wouldn't do that. He is my child! My Ranma can't be a girl, for girls can't be manly!"

Xenma shook his head in disbelief. "You still cling to that manliness crap? Ah, I understand. You want male Ranma to spread his seed so that you can have a bunch of grandchildren, illegitimate ones to boot. Care to enlighten me why? Maybe so that you can give them the childhood that Ranma never had? Now that is one screwed guilt-trip if I ever saw one!"

"N-no!" Nodoka replied with a jerky shake of her head and visibly gathered herself todefend her views, but had a snowball's chance in hell to do so as she was bowled over by her father who was developing steam.

"Nodoka, instead of planning to pamper future grandchildren you should stop harassing your child who is both a boy and a girl! She's only nineteen, for crying out loud! Ranma still needs her mother, even more so than others her age, considering what she lives through on a daily basis! But what do _you_ do? You heap more shit on her shoulders with your outrageous demands! Do you know what our agents say?" he demanded, his teeth clenched in barely restrained anger.

"No." Nodoka replied levelly in an effort to show no outward sign that her father had gotten to her.

"They say it's a miracle that Ranma hasn't snapped, No-chan," Lara said softly in her husband's stead. "We even developed plans for such a case, so that we could stop her should she go on a killing spree, as unlikely as the killing part was. The stress she was under before you arrived was incredible, but when you came and preached your manliness idiocy it became unimaginable. It's nothing short of a miracle that she survived. Despite that you still want to push her to be manly, even after she'll hopefully have done the most womanly thing in the world?"

"Yes?" Nodoka more asked than said, her tone weak and uncertain.

"I can't remember that my daughter was such an idiot with delusional notions right out of a really bad Shounen manga eighteen years ago," Xenma growled furious. "Our excuse to ask Ranma to make the greatest sacrifice of her life is the salvation of the human race. Something she'll hopefully understand and accept in time. What she won't understand is why you want to force her to use her male form to fuck around so that you can have the jollies of being a grandmother."

"Something you'll be anyway if everything goes according to plan," Lara added softly.

Nodoka looked still unconvinced. "But my dreams..."

"Exactly. _Your_ dreams. And they are completely and utterly selfish, No-chan," Lara said with a stern expression, her previous softness gone. "We have at least the excuse that we want to save Earth as it is. A weak excuse in Ranma's eyes, I'm sure, but you have no excuse. Just your selfish desires."

"B-but..."

Xenma readied himself to tear into his daughter with another verbal assault, but a hand on his shoulder from Lara stopped him in his tracks. The Saotome matriarch shook her head. "Xen, lets get Ranma to the manor. I'll talk sense into No-chan once we're there," she said with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

The Saotome patriarch looked at his wife for several long moments, moments in which a lot was silently exchanged between the spouses, then Xenma nodded and pressed a button on his watch. Few moments later Ayame wheeled in a gurney. Xenma hoisted Ranma's unconscious body on it with no apparent effort and strapped her down so she wouldn't fall off. Using a back exit the sleeping redhead was wheeled into a waiting van and driven away.

-.-

The drive to Saotome manor didn't take more than ten minutes, and Ranma was immediately wheeled into the house and taken to the medical wing upon arrival. The medical wing lay a hundred metres under the earth and was more tightly secured and fortified than anything else on the planet. Even a Senshi-teleport onto the compound would fail due to the anti-magic shields and forcefields in the area, so should Pluto ever find their base of operations she'd still have one hell of a time getting into it, especially considering their assorted defences and other weaponry at their disposal.

While Ranma ended up in the lab where samples were immediately taken from her, her mother was virtually dragged into an unused lab by her incensed mother. Due to a specially developed knockout-gas Ranma remained unconscious for the better part of three hours, three hours of intense testing, comparisons, verifications and ultimately modification of the samples into the desirable end-result. Xenma and Lara had beforehand agreed to take and modify the samples ahead of the talk with Ranma, seeing as they'd need the samples anyway. Either Ranma accepted and would cooperate, or she'd refuse, but the modified egg-cell would be used either way.

These three hours in which everything had been prepared had been pure hell for one Nodoka Saotome. Her mother had taken the kid's gloves off and had vented at her unlike ever before. If that hadn't been bad enough Ayame had assisted her Mistress and had lend the necessary items, and five wooden spoons and two bo-staves later Nodoka had had her crazy notions literally beaten out of her, eventually. Mother and daughter had embraced each other in tears once Nodoka had realised what had become of her, but Lara had made clear that her daughter was still on probation and would be watched with hawkeyes.

Now, said three hours later mother and daughter were standing in the bedroom that belonged to an adjacent underground habitation, watching the sleeping form of their granddaughter respective daughter. Xenma, who was standing at the foot of the bed beside his wife and daughter nodded towards the doctor. "Wake her up, doc."

The bespectacled man standing to the right of Ranma's bed nodded and gave the sleeping redhead an injection. "She'll wake up in a minute or two. I have redirected her ki-flows so that she won't be able to use her ki as she is wont to. A realigning on her own during the time the procedure will take place is impossible. Even taking her well-known abilities into account it would take more than a day. I have triple-checked everything, and seeing as I know all there is about her medical history you can trust my word that everything will go according to plan."

"Very good, doc. I take that everything is prepared?" Lara asked and tried to keep her tone businesslike, but a slight waver in her voice showed how hard it was on her.

"Yes, ma'am," the doctor replied with a nod, returning his attention to the monitors. "Good. The fertility-levels are even higher than we had hoped for, we would be operating under better than ideal conditions."

"What about the danger that she might change back from warm fluids?" Nodoka asked, her brow puckered with a faint frown.

If the doctor was surprised by the fact that Nodoka had asked the question he didn't show it. "That has already been taken care of. She was bathed after we had taken the needed samples, and waterproof soap was applied. You see, there is no danger of an accidental change. We also assume that the curse will lock itself once conception has taken place. Amazon sources indicate this strongly," he said calmly.

Xenma nodded in approval. "Very good, doc."

The doctor nodded and turned to look at the monitors. "She's waking up. Pulse and heart-rate are rising, breathing is quickening too. Better prepare for one confused and probably irate patient, Xenma."

Lara took Xenma's hand. "We _are_ prepared, doc. Let's only hope that Ranma can stomach what we'll ask of her."

The doctor and Xenma exchanged a look and nodded grimly. Nodoka looked worriedly at her daughter, having grasped what was at stake here after the dressing down her mother had given her. Their enterprise bore the very real risk of breaking Ranma...

-.-

Ranma Saotome slowly came to, and the dizziness she felt clouded her mind. Her head felt as if someone had drilled holes into it, and her mouth was as dry as the Sahara, she was sure. A quick self-assessment told her that she was considerably weaker than she should be. Eyes still closed she tried to isolate the cause of her weakness, and some moments later she had found the reason. Her ki-paths were in utter upheaval! It would take her the better part of a day to return her ki to its normal state, and that was an optimistic estimation. Whoever had done this, and it had been done voluntarily, he or she was a master. She had practically been disabled and was now at the mercy of whoever had abducted her. **'Great, now **_**I**_** have been abducted for a change. Probably confused me with the tomboy,'** the redhead thought sarcastically.

"Ranma, open your eyes, dear. We know that you're awake," came the unexpected voice of her mother.

"_Mom_?" Ranma asked confused, and opened her eyes fully, looking directly into a lamp that blinded her.

"Yes, daughter."

"Mom, what am I doing here lying in some bed I dunno, and who the fuck made me this weak! What the hell is going on here!" the redhead demanded, her voice rising.

Nodoka looked sternly at her irate daughter. "Ranma Saotome, if you swear like that again I'm going to wash out your mouth!"

Ranma took a few calming breaths. "The heck you will! You ain't my mother! My mom would never call me her _daughter_ and mean it! I can't see you, I can't sense you. You may sound like my mother, but you can't be her!"

Slowly a face came into her field of vision. "There, daughter. Better?" Nodoka asked, softly caressing Ranma's cheek.

Now Ranma was completely confused. "What the nine hells is going on here?" she demanded again.

"You want answers and you'll get them, dear," Nodoka said and made a point of keeping her voice as calm and soothing as possible and sat down in a chair that conveniently stood beside the bed. "Please, everyone, leave us alone. This is a talk between a mother and her daughter, and Ranma deserves to know the full extent of our plans from me. Please."

While Ranma looked on in confusion Nodoka was carefully regarded by her own mother, and slowly Lara Saotome nodded. "As you wish, No-chan. Xen and I will be waiting nearby."

Nodoka nodded in understanding. "Thank you for your trust in me, mother, father."

"You're welcome, dear," Lara answered with a smile. "Come, Xen, let us give them some time alone," she said as she led her husband out of the lab. "Maybe this will work out even better…" she mouthed.

Xenma nodded in understanding, and the doctor followed on his wink. Maybe it was indeed a sounder course of action to just ask for Ranma's cooperation first instead of forcing her, though he doubted it verily. All their analysis of her probable reactions had indicated that she'd flat out refuse their plan. But stranger things had happened before, he mused. Maybe a miracle would happen, for that was the only thing that could help them. Time was running out…

**to be continued**...


	4. Chapter 4

**Title**: Chaotic Rebirth

**Author name**: Trugeta

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ as well as Naoko Takeuchi and many others. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Note further that I don't own any of the trademarks mentioned in this story.

This story takes place after the failed wedding in the Ranma series and the defeat of Galaxia in the Sailor Moon Series. It's an AU, and reviews are welcome and appreciated.

**  
Chapter 4**

**  
**Despite the comfortable sofa offering a degree of comfort that was simply unreal Nodoka Saotome had never felt as tense as at present, and a sigh almost escaped her lips. Yesterday things had been so simple. She'd had a manly and handsome son who was sought after by many gorgeous young women, and even despite his… questionable manners and the Nyannichuan curse he had picked up in China the prospects that he would make her a grandmother had looked good.

Now these chances looked even better, even if for very different reasons. She sighed internally as she thought about all the things she had learned. A part of her wished that she hadn't learned these things at all, wished that she'd remained in the slightly deluded version of reality she'd created for herself over the years. Nodoka still asked herself how her expectations towards her son could have turned into something out of a really bad novel, and the other part of her was glad that her mother had found the words that had forcefully kicked her butt out of the dreamworld she had created for herself.

But this was the crux of the matter exactly, now that her perceptions had been realigned with reality she couldn't hide behind weird concepts of honour or manliness any longer, couldn't delude herself into thinking that her manly son would do the manly thing and let himself be knocked up in his female form so that billions could be saved. Before her rude awakening she had only seen the honour her son would bring her and the Clan through his noble sacrifice, but now, now that she had been 'enlightened' she feared what her Clans' plan would do to Ranma, especially mentally.

Her fear that Ranma would crumble under the enormity of what they were going to ask of him, no, her, Nodoka corrected mentally, was the reason why she had wanted to talk to her son-turned-daughter in private. Nodoka knew there was just no alternative to the desperate plan her parents had concocted, and she also knew that they were willing to see it through at all costs.

Maybe not her mother, but her father at any rate, who had become obsessed with stopping Pluto. And after learning that the Senshi of Time had most likely staged their ancestors death she couldn't fault him for being angry. However, the means her father was willing to employ in order to achieve the ends he so sought were hardly better than what Pluto did and had done, but it seemed like there was no stopping the plan.

It had already been set in motion, and all that she could do now was to hope that she could redirect the avalanche…

-.-

Ranma's mind was in utter turmoil, and the whole situation was so surreal that she wanted to erupt in gales of laughter. Had the situation not been so serious she would have, but the lengths her captors had gone to to ensure that she was at their mercy conveyed that this was far from a joke.

Questions kept popping up in intervals of nanoseconds. Where was she, and why had they made her so weak? Were her grandparents responsible for this, and if so, why had yet another people, her own grandparents to boot, betrayed her? One of the more immediate questions pertained to her mother, though. She had asked her own parents for a chance to have a private talk with her, and this talk could mean her mother was in on whatever was going on here.

**'Why is it that my life takes one pitfall after the other?'** Ranma lamented mentally and the redhead was hard pressed not to vent her crowing anger in a long string of curses that'd have made hardened sailors blush.

"Mother," she growled out with a scowl and in a cold tone, raising her mother out of her own musings, "What is this supposed 'mother-daughter-talk' about? Why I was knocked out and made weak? Why my own family betrayed me, betrayed my trust? What the fuck is going on, and where am I?"

Nodoka sighed and leaned forward in the chair she was sitting in, her almost apologetic gaze meeting Ranma's angry one. "I understand your anger, dear, but please refrain from swearing. It's not becoming of you."

"I don't care…" began Ranma enraged, her voice rising.

The calm voice of her mother interrupted her. "You wanted answers to your questions, so I ask you to control yourself. Please. Good," she said as Ranma visibly calmed herself. "First off, you are at Saotome Manor, the ancestral home of the Saotome line. You were brought here once you had, err, fallen asleep."

"Fallen asleep?" snorted Ranma mockingly, both brows cocked. "Knocked out is more like it. So what do you want of me? What can the universes' spittoon do for you?" she spat sarcastically.

The Saotome matriarch sighed once more and massaged her temples. "I'd lie if I said nothing. Dear, I hate what I have to ask of you, especially considering your unique situation. Please believe me, it was no easy decision for me, but it has to be done. Maybe you'll be able to forgive me one time," she said and wiped a few tears from her eyes.

Ranma, who had been about to retort that she didn't know if she'd ever be able to believe anything from her and her grandparents any more, deflated somewhat. It was not due to the fact that she had always gone to pieces before when confronted with crying females, no, this time she held her ground in that respect. It was her mother's aura and the genuine sorrow she was projecting that convinced her of her truthfulness, thus she decided to hear her out. Besides, she had no real choice anyway, and she could still get angry and bitchy later on.

"Momma, I'm still very angry with you, but I'll listen. What is it that you want to ask of me? Has it something to do with me being manly with someone you and my grandparents have chosen? Or womanly, which would explain why I had to be a girl for the meeting?" she asked sarcastically.

Nodoka flinched somewhat, and that made alarms go off in Ranma's head. However, the shake of the head of her mother eased her worries somewhat. "No, neither. That manliness obsession of mine is a case for the rubbish heap. I literally had these notions beaten out of me," she said with dry humour that made Ranma cock a delicate scarlet brow."

"Grandma?" the younger redhead queried.

Nodoka nodded and shuddered briefly. "Indeed. She can be very... persuasive. More so than even me, I must admit. But enough of that. Ranma, dear, what I must discuss with you, ask of you, is much more complicated and serious than your fiancées or anything else, and it pertains to a heritage of the Saotome line, so to speak. And sadly, you are the only one who is able to bear it."

"Figures," muttered Ranma and shook her head in a mixture of bemusement and resignation. "But what is it?"

Her mother wiped yet more tears from her eyes, which made Ranma's stomach twist into knots as it hinted at the severity of the upcoming topic. "My Ranma," she said, drawing her into a tight embrace, "Never forget that I love you. I love you because you're a strong, honourable and good person, as a girl and a boy. I really don't care anymore if you're manly or not, I just love you for who and what you are. My daughter and my son, who has already made me proud beyond words. I'm so sorry it took me so long to realise."

"Momma…" Ranma breathed, the sinking feeling in her stomach intensifying; her mother had once more spoken the truth, but that she had said that, and that she had lost her composure like that implied that what she'd ask of her was indeed as severe as she feared.

Composing herself Ranma looked her mother in the eyes. "First off, why didn't you ask me whatever it is right off the bat? Why bother luring me into a trap, knocking me out and shipping me here?"

"Because it is as bad as you think, from your standpoint at least. You see, your grandfather thought he had no other choice. Time is scarce and he felt compelled to act. But you'll understand the situation if you allow me to use this on you," Nodoka replied and pulled the MRU out of her pocket.

"What's this?" asked Ranma and eyed the device warily.

"This is a memory retrieval unit, dear. Aside from stimulating a specific region of the brain it'll also give you a complete overview of the situation and details on the plan to avoid the danger that is coming," Nodoka explained.

"Danger?" Ranma repeated incredulous. "Hmm… what about those memories? I was not aware that I had am… amn… that memory problem thingie."

"What you mean is amnesia, dear. Which you don't suffer from. Though I have my doubts sometimes," Nodoka said with a teasing smile, to which Ranma huffed. "You see, the members of the Saotome line, at least those by birthright, have a region of their brain that hosts memories of a long forgotten time," she explained.

"Long forgotten?" Ranma interjected, looking less than impressed. "What good are some old, dusty memories?"

"They _are_ important, daughter, because they affect the present and the future to a great degree. They are in fact of utmost importance, and I sometimes wish I hadn't had them unlocked," Nodoka replied, a sad smile on her face.

Ranma sighed, took a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly. "If they are so important, then okay. I really hope you guys have a damn good explanation for all this shit."

Nodoka nodded solemnly. "I thought so when I was made aware of the situation, dear."

"Alright, mom. Go ahead. Ain't that I got a choice anyway."

The Saotome patriarch flinched, then she nodded and gave her surprised daughter a loving kiss to the forehead before taking a few steps back. Then she levelled the device at Ranma's forehead and hesitated for a few moments in which she stared at her son-turned-daughter. A single tear trickled down Nodoka's left cheek when she finally pushed the button, and a jet-black beam shot at Ranma. For a moment the redhead felt nothing but intense pain, then everything went black.

-.-

"Ooooh... my head," a certain redheaded martial artist muttered as she came to. Her head pounded like she had accompanied her father and his buddy in crime on a pub crawl through all their favourite pubs, and she wasn't even into the drinking stuff. "Where the hell am I? That ain't the bedroom..." she muttered as she looked around, recognising that she was in some kind of living room where she comfortably rested on a comfy navy-blue three-piece leather couch.

"Hello, Ranma," a familiar voice spoke up unexpectedly from across her.

Ranma's sat up in a flash and her head whipped around to the source of that voice, her jaw practically on the floor. "Dr. Tofu? What the hell are you doing here? Where is here?" she asked confused as she trained her eyes on the bespectacled man who was standing in front of her.

The doctor she had known and trusted for so long smiled at her. "Yes, Ranma. It's really me. It's good to see you again, even if under not so ideal circumstances. To answer your question: we are in the living room this underground facility provides, Ranma, and you are currently in the process of assimilating the data we provided you with. And I'm here instead of your mother because I convinced her and your grandmother that it should be me to explain everything to you. After all, I have never lied to you, have I?"

Ranma mulled the doctor's words over for a moment. "No, doc. But who is 'we'? And how...?"

"You ask yourself how it can be that I'm here. And no, I'm no figment of your imagination. I'm here to explain things to you, Ranma, and I ask of you, please listen to me," Tofu explained and sat down on a two-piece sofa of similar design as the one she was lying on. "The MRU has dumped a lot of data into your brain, and the assimilation will take a while and will happen in intervals. Due to the damage your mind suffered from the neko-ken we couldn't risk to have it happen in one go, and it will be painful enough anyway. That said, you'll experience a very bad headache every time you 'remember' something. You with me so far?"

Ranma nodded despite the fact that she was more than a little out of her depth. "Yeah, doc. But how are you here? I mean, what have you got to do with things?" the redhead queried, hoping against hope that his involvement wouldn't make an already bleak looking situation even worse.

Dr. Tofu sighed and crossed his arms across his chest. "You know that I disappeared half a year ago. I bet everyone figured I had given up on Kasumi and had left town to forget her."

Ranma nodded and wet her lips. "We did, yeah. OWW! What the hell was that?" she exclaimed, and massaged her temples in an attempt to ward off the grandmother of all headaches.

Tofu looked at her in concern, before nodding to himself. "You already absorbed some of the memories, as far as I can tell. Remarkable. How much do you 'remember' now, Ranma?"

"I… Serenity… Damn, our line reaches that far back? Damn, Tenma was a great man… I… I 'remember' everything, Doc. OWW! What now?" the redhead exclaimed and squeezed her eyes shut, clutching her head once again, a pained hiss escaping her lips despite her attempts to hide how much it hurt.

"What do you 'remember' now, Ranma? What have you seen?" Tofu asked almost eagerly when several minutes had passed.

Ranma slowly opened her eyes. "Pluto and the Senshi… I have seen what they're planning. Is it true, doc? Is this Pluto really willing to… sacrifice billions? And has planned to for several thousand years?"

Doctor Tofu stared into her eyes for several moments before nodding slowly. "Yes, she has. I needed several days before I understood it rationally, and being a man of science I was able to understand her motifs, at least from a rational point of view."

"WHAT!" Ranma exclaimed. "How can you understand her? She wants to kill nearly every human being on Earth through Kami-sama knows what!"

The doctor held up his hands in a pacifying gesture. "I didn't say I approve of what she's planning, far from it. But in her mind it's the only way to ensure that the Moon Kingdom will be rebuilt. I've spent quite some time going over it, and this is what I think: Sailor Pluto is the only _real_ survivor of the Sol war, as far as we know. We know that she wanted to fight by her Queen's side and die in battle, yet her Queen denied it when she ordered Pluto to evacuate to the Gates of Time."

"Wow, Serenity must have really cared for her people if she was willing to die for them," Ranma mused to herself, barely concealed awe tingeing her voice.

"Yes, she did. Much like you, in fact," the Doctor nodded, gazing at Ranma with serious eyes. "But ask yourself this: how would you feel if you were sent to safety while someone you have sworn to protect and die for faces her end? If this order led to your survival, but to your Queen's death?"

Ranma thought for several minutes before answering. "I… I would feel guilty. Incredibly guilty. But to kill several billion people to get rid of this guilt… it can't be," she muttered, shaking her head. "It just can't be."

"Oh, it can very well be, Ranma. You are one of a kind, you'd never take a life needlessly. Saffron was no exception, and yes, I know everything about it. You would never sacrifice other people's lives for your gains, but that doesn't mean that others wouldn't. Don't make the mistake to think that everyone is as noble-hearted as you," Tofu stressed. "Pluto has spent several millennia in solitude, all alone without her Queen or co-senshi. Her guilt in combination with this loneliness may have caused her decision. She is willing to sacrifice everything to found a new Moon Kingdom, Ranma, and I can understand her, at least rationally."

"But that's just so wrong… OWW!" Ranma exclaimed once more, clutching her head.

Tofu watched in silence how Ranma assimilated the new information, only this time he dreaded what would come of it. By his estimation this particular 'data upload' contained their plan, and Ranma would probably be more than just a little cross with them…

-.-

Ranma slowly came back from her trip on the memory lane, and after blinking her eyes a few times she started to fully grasp the implications of what she had just seen. "Even if I believe all that, that my Clan is de… descended from some Queen that ruled the galaxy and all that, this Great Freeze coming, do you really expect me to agree to being IMPREGNATED?!" she shouted, almost causing the paint to peel from the ceiling.

Doctor Tofu sighed. "Ideally, yes, Ranma," he stated calmly.

"Oh, okay," Ranma muttered, much to the doctor's surprise. Then her face acquired a purple quality. "ARE YOU PEOPLE OUTTA YOUR MIND? THAT CRAZY PLAN MAKES THE KUNOS LOOK SANE, FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD!" she yelled.

Dr. Tofu cringed and held his hurting ears. "Ranma," he said, stepping to her side and sitting down in front of the redhead Indian style, "If we had an alternative, any alternative, we would gladly use it. Heck, if they could, both your mother and grandmother would gladly carry the baby. Sadly that isn't an option. _You_ are the only one on this planet who can."

"No, no freaking way. I'm a guy, and guys don't get preggers. Ever," Ranma retorted stubbornly and finished with some advice that, while practical and informative, probably wasn't physically possible.

Tofu calmly bore Ranma's tirade and dryly retorted, "You're also the only 'guy' with female equipment and a period, Ranma."

The redhead sputtered indignantly, and Dr. Tofu patiently sighed. "Ranma, I'll tell you how I came into the service of your grandparents, okay? Maybe you'll understand the situation a bit better if you know the background. The only thing I ask of you is that you listen to me, okay?"

Ranma shrugged uncaringly, seeing as she had no real alternative anyway. "Okay, doc. Not that I'll change my mind or nothing, but I'll listen."

"That's fair, Ranma. Well, let me start at the beginning. As you said, everyone had believed I had given up on Kasumi. Well, that's as far away from the truth as you can get," Doctor Tofu said and took a deep breath, Ranma watching him intently all the while.

"You see, Ayame approached me half a year ago and asked for my help. She was vague in her explanations, but she had enough proof going for her to make me curious. I agreed to accompany her to Saotome Manor and learned the whole truth about the 'Great Freeze' and its effects. This catastrophe bears the very real chance that _Kasumi_ will be among the billions of victims, and I thought 'if my contribute to a plan to stop this catastrophe has the chance of saving her I'll take it,'.

"If what I had been told was true I'd be able to help a lot more people than ever before, and when I saw this lab for the first time I was giddy as a schoolboy on sugar high. Your grandparents showed me proof that the threat the Sailor Senshi pose is very real, and I have been helping them to bring the Queen back ever since," the bi-spectacled doctor explained, his voice so calm and collected that Ranma didn't doubt his words.

"B- But you're just a chiropractor, aren't you?" the redhead inquired, her facial expression showing just how baffled she was.

Dr. Tofu chuckled softly and smiled. "What many people don't know, I have the diploma to prove that I'm an authorised doctor. My field of work is genetics, aside from being an internist. However, considering the average population in Nerima I knew right from the start that I wouldn't be able to work in my chosen field of work."

"Err, Doc, just outta curiosity, why didn't you ever get ta work in a big lab or something if you're so talented?" Ranma asked, a scarlet brow raised. "You coulda made a shitload of money!"

The doctor sighed and steepled his fingers, peering at Ranma over the rim of his glasses. "Yes, I could have at that, but it never became an option because I had to follow in my father's steps. He was a well renowned chiropractor in town, but I had hoped if I focussed on something different I'd be able to avoid following in his steps.

"But you of all people know how parents can be, and my mother convinced me to study Chiropractics as well. As you will remember, my mother can be quite… forceful. And in the end I became a chiropractor and inherited my father's practise, thanks to mother."

Ranma chuckled despite her situation. "Oh yeah, I remember her. Very nearly became your bride because of her. Said I had the ideal birthing hips… damn," she grumbled angrily, remembering her predicament.

Dr. Tofu sweatdropped, realising his faux pax too late. "Err, well, that's how I ended up here. Ayame kept me informed of your situation, and I had really, really hoped that you'd find happiness with Akane. Sadly Fate was apparently set against that, and now you are here," he mused, his professionalism in full swing again.

"Now I'm here," Ranma growled, her eyes flashing. "And you expect me to agree to that crazy plan you guys have hatched? That I'll just spread my legs and be a good lil girl or what? No freakin' way!" she yelled, instinctively squeezing her thighs shut.

"Ranma, we have tried _everything_. If only we had more time we could wait for an offspring of yours, but sadly, time is a luxury we do not have. The great freeze will occur in about three years time, by our most optimistic estimations. Only _you_ can prevent that," Doctor Tofu stated in the chestnote of confirmedness.

"Is there really no other way?" Ranma reasoned, her anger slowly turning into fear. "There gotta be another way. There always is!"

Doctor Tofu sighed, but as much as it tore at his heart to see Ranma so desperate, there really was no alternative. "Ranma, I wish there was. But only you can guarantee that the Queen will be strong enough to prevent the Great Freeze."

"Why? Why can't you… dunno, implant that egg into another woman? Why _me_?" she pleaded desperately.

Dr. Tofu took a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly. "We would gladly do it in any other way, Ranma, but every other human being is lacking two things: your own inert magic and the Jusenkyo magic."

"What?" Ranma exclaimed, her fear forgotten for the moment. "You've gotta be shitting me!"

"No, Ranma." Tofu retorted softly, a sad smile on his face. "_You_ have the greatest potential for all things magical ever recorded in the history of the Saotome Clan, or at least your female form has. You have the requisite DNA and a massively powerful magical gene in your mitochondria. This will be inherited by your daughter, seeing as women pass off their mitochondria to their children. The reason why _you_ have to carry the baby is that the Jusenkyo magic will intermix with the child's magic inside your womb."

"WHAT'S THAT FOR A KINDA BOGUS?!" Ranma exclaimed in complete disbelief. "YOU'RE ALL RAVING NUTS, THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE!"

"Ranma, this has been confirmed by our magical specialists," Dr. Tofu said patiently, "What you don't know is that Jusenkyo magic does a lot more than just turning its victims into different shapes. It is chaos magic at its purest, and will amplify the chaos traits you already carry in you due to your lineage. And that's something that can only happen if you carry the baby in your womb."

"BULLSHIT!" Ranma yelled, a vein appearing on her forehead. "Take some frigging samples of me if ya gotta and let me go! Then ya can play around with your test tubes all ya wanta! Heck, make it in… in… what's it called?"

"In vitro, Ranma," Tofu supplied patiently, "Which won't produce the same results as _you_ carrying the baby. Also, implanting the modified egg into another woman bears the very real risk of repulsion. Sure, we could suppress the reaction, but that would damage the magic of the child with a probability of 95, 6 percent. Also, seeing that we do not have an endless supply of genetic material from the Queen that is something we can't risk, especially since we can't clone the Queens' genetic material. There just is no alternative," he explained with a wary sigh.

"There's gotta be, doc! I may have accepted the curse, but ya know as well as I do that I'm a guy at heart! And guys don't get preggers! They just don't!" the redhead yelled, her hands balled into tight fists.

Tofu sighed for the seemingly umpteenth time, which showed that this was not easy for him. "You have no idea how sorry I am, Ranma. That plan goes up against every professional and ethical rule of mine, and my sole justification is necessity. What good are my morals and ethics if I can't save _Kasumi_?"

The seriousness and despair in Tofu's voice caught Ranma's attention. "From what, doc? What _is_ this 'Great Freeze' thing everyone is so worried about?"

Tofu looked her directly into the eyes with intent. "Simply put the end of the world for but a select few. We had several scenarios from the material your ancestor left us, but had no idea what would be the cause of the catastrophe. They found out last month what _will_ cause the Great Freeze. It's unsettling, and makes the Gaijin movie 'Armageddon' look tame by comparison."

Ranma forgot her situation, her anger, fury and depression for a moment as she remembered the movie. "You gotta be kidding, doc!"

Tofu shook his head, a deadly-serious expression on his face. "I wish I was. Our long-range sensors detected the bastard last month. The thing is half as big as Earth and accompanied by hundreds of smaller asteroids. From what our scientists say it'll not impact Earth directly, but it'll knock the planet of course and alter its orbit. They're still busy with calculations, but according to their latest estimations it's going to be bad."

Ranma gulped. "How bad?"

-.-

Dr. Tofu had never looked more serious in his life than in this moment. "Very bad, and much worse than we initially thought. The climate that'll result from the change in orbit will be much, much harsher, even according to the most optimistic prognosis. Crops will fail all around the globe, and billions are going to die of starvation and cold. Most of Earth's population will freeze to death in a frozen hell. Japan will be one of the countries worst off, just like most Asian and European countries. The U.S.A., despite all their resources, technology and military power are going to turn into a frozen wasteland just like the rest. Habitable spots will be scarce for hundreds of years to come," Tofu muttered, just loud enough to be heard.

"Damn," Ranma breathed, her voice breaking a little.

"You can say that again, Ranma. No one will be safe from the Great Freeze, seeing that the effects will be _global_. You are our _only_ chance. I know it's selfish, but I don't want to lose Kasumi. I want to have the chance to tell her that I love her, and I want to see our eventual children training happily in the Dojo, playing in the garden, whatever," Tofu said with desperate determination.

"B-But what about convincing the Tendos to move here?" Ranma suggested.

"Wouldn't work, for various reasons. If we tell the Tendos it'll get out. Someone will blab, or Happosai will find out. Do you think he'd keep his trap shut?" he muttered, raising his eyebrows inquiringly.

Ranma frowned and shook her head. "He'd go to any length to save as many beautiful girls as possible. Especially that nursery school teacher he had a crush on. From thereon her co-workers and even the kids would learn, tell their parents and so on. Or he'd run around screaming that he had to save his silky darlings from Armageddon or some shit," she murmured in defeat. "I see your point, doc."

"The situation is desperate, Ranma. We had always hoped that we would have more time, that you would have a daughter who could be slowly prepared for the duty instead of forcing _you_ through the procedure like that. I had always hoped that we would find someone else, but deep in my heart I've always known that it would be you," Tofu said with a wry smile.

Ranma's face scrunched up. "I swear, shit like that only happens to me. Don't get me wrong," she said angrily, "I'm a guy and won't do it… but damn."

"Too true. Damn, or rather damned, that's what Earth is. This cockamamie plan is the only chance to resolve what Sailor Pluto started, Ranma, to stop the next Ice Age," Tofu retorted calmly in an attempt to reason with Ranma.

"Resolve it by impregnating me," the redhead spat bitterly. "Can't they… dunno, make another world like Earth or something if Clan Saotome has such great scientists? I remember some boring report on TV that other worlds could be ter… terra…"

"Terraformed?" supplied Tofu, smiling faintly.

"Yeah, that. Ain't that possible with the resources my Clan seems to have?" asked Ranma, wetting her lips nervously.

"No, Ranma," the doctor retorted bluntly with a shake of the head. "Not even the Clan has the technology needed to do so, and as far as I'm informed magic was utilised to terraform worlds in the Silver Millennium. And none of the Clan is magically powerful enough to do so. Terraforming and evacuation is out."

"Damn," Ranma groused with an angry shake of her head. "What's so special about this baby, the Queen, anyway? What can she do to stop the Great Freeze?"

Tofu sighed and massaged his temples. "This is highly complicated, Ranma. Not even I understand all magical aspects. Only so much, the Queen will have a mix of her original genes plus your genes, which will make her very strong. She'll truly be _your_ daughter, Ranma, and you'll be her father who just happens to carry her to term as her surrogate mother. I don't know what the effects will be, only that the outcome will also be affected by the genes your father passed on to you."

"The genes pops passed on? Are they sure their microscopes are working?" Ranma asked snidely, a scarlet brow cocked mockingly.

Tofu's lips quirked into a wry smile. "Oh yes, perfectly, indeed. My colleague Dr. van Dyke was already _the_ capacity on the working field genetics before your grandparents assured themselves his loyalty, and you can believe me when I say the man knows what he's doing."

"That's nice and all, but what can the Queen do? What makes her so special?" Ranma pressed, her curiosity piqued.

"That question leads us directly to the field of magic. I'm pretty sure you know nothing about the Sailor Scouts, which is something Xenma will no doubt rectify later. Know thy enemy and all that. Only so much, their leader, Sailor Moon, is the wielder of an artefact called the 'Silver Crystal'. This artefact holds unimaginable power, and can only be wielded by members of the Serenity line. That leads us to the conclusion that Sailor Moon is the reincarnation of Serenity VI's. daughter. It will be tough to gain control of the crystal, but your grandparents are optimistic that the addition of your genes will make the decisive difference. That, and the blending of the Jusenkyo and the Moon Kingdom magic," said Tofu, deciding to be blunt about it rather than circumspect.

Ranma on her part looked confused. "Doc, you lost me, and my head hurts. Hope there ain't any more 'memories' ya guys wanna stuff inta my head."

"No, Ranma, I'm pretty sure that that was everything. Have you understood the importance, Ranma? I can't stress it enough."

"Doc, I've known ya for a long time and I used to… I trust you. But… ya know, I can't do it. Even though I turn inta a girl and all… even though I gotta deal with female stuff… I'm a guy. And guys just don't get preggers," Ranma exclaimed in the chestnote of confirmedness.

"I can imagine how hard it is for you, Ranma," Doctor Tofu said honestly, informing the others to ready the video files and visual aids they had prepared. "But billions of people will die if you refuse. Akane, Kasumi, Nabiki, Mr. Tendo, Shampoo, Ryoga, even your own father, may very well be among them. Only the reborn Queen will be able to stop the asteroid, with the help of the Silver Crystal; and only you are able to carry the Queen."

"B-But…" Ranma began, but the Doctor shook his head.

"I'll show you _how_ the Great Freeze will be caused and _what_ it'll cause, and what would happen if you were to fight it unassisted. I wish I could refrain from showing this to you, but you have to see firsthand how futile that would be. I'm sorry, Ranma. I really am," he said a voice barely above a whisper, and used the alternate function of the MRU to upload the data containing variants of alternate versions of Ranma fighting the Senshi.

One press of a button later and Ranma clutched the sides of her head again as she was assaulted by images. In them she saw several 'fights' of herself in both forms with the Sailor Senshi, and how badly she lost to them despite going all out and pulling every move in her book; her martial arts and ki-attacks were ineffective against a Sailor Pluto who could slow down time so that the others could get her with their magical attacks, and she died every single time. And in gruesome ways to boot.

Ranma's body shuddered as she watched herself being electrocuted, frozen to ice, burned alive or just plain cut to pieces, and looking into her own lifeless eye after having been stabbed through the heart almost was too much for her.

After ten of these fights she finally saw the consequences of her failure, and what she saw was mindboggling and gruesome. The redhead had to watch helplessly how the gigantic asteroid grazed Earth and knocked it of course due to its enormous mass. A few smaller asteroids – if gigantic masses the size of Tokyo Tower could be called small - impacted and caused great havoc and chaos.

Ranma watched powerlessly as the consequences of the change in orbit unfolded, and didn't even notice the tears that were streaming down her face as she 'watched' the events. She had one time watched a report of what would happen during a nuclear winter, and this was just as gruelling. The redhead watched helplessly but in morbid fascination how the world grew visibly colder, how blizzards, tornadoes and other natural disasters devastated the world without mercy, and she just couldn't close her eyes or look away, it was like watching a train wreck, only a million times worse. One simply couldn't look away, regardless how gruesome the scene.

The focus then switched to her mother-country and showed how sites she had been at were destroyed by every hazardous weather phenomenon imaginable; things really became personal however when the focus switched to Nerima. Not a Nerima as she knew it, but a destroyed, devastated landscape, wrecked by an unforgiving nature; frozen bodies were lying everywhere, and Ranma was sure she must die when she saw a newborn baby lying on top of its dead parents, wailing in vain with frozen tears on its cheeks, already frozen half to death, the wailing getting constantly weaker.

That wasn't the end of this horror trip by a long shot as Ranma found, and she was a helpless passenger when they passed the Nekohanten which had apparently been abandoned before it had collapsed in on itself; however, the countless frozen bodies she had seen on the way were more than enough.

Ucchan's okonomiyaki shop was the next stop, and the restaurant had been completely destroyed by some weather condition or the other. The redhead gasped loudly when she saw Ucchan's frozen and mangled body which had been entrapped under the debris of her own restaurant, only leaving the top-half visible. A look of horror was permanently edged into her white-blue face, and her eyes stared lifelessly at the sky. Never again would she prepare a perfect okonomiyaki or exclaim, "I'm your cute fiancée, Ranchan,".

Never had death seemed more final to Ranma, and the Saotome youth was now well aware of the tears streaming down her face, but she was not ashamed and made no attempt to keep them in, not that she'd have managed to anyway.

The journey continued, and the next stop turned out to be the worst: the Tendo Dojo. Or what was left of it; the main house as well as the Dojo itself had collapsed, and bodies were lying scattered within the perimeter of what had once been her home. All bodies were showing signs of grievous injuries, but in the end it had been the cold caused by the Great Freeze that had done way of them.

Ranma sobbed uncontrollably as she turned to look from friend to friend, and her sobbing only increased in intensity when she saw Akane; her ex-fiancée and someone she still considered a good friend, maybe a sister even had been trapped under a support-beam that had crushed her midsection, and Ryoga who had apparently tried to come to her aid had met his end due to another support beam that had caved his skull in. It was a gruesome sight, and it took all Ranma had not to be violently sick.

The martial artist was whisked further into the house, and she gasped when she saw her dead father, a look of intense pain permanently edged into his face. The roof had obviously collapsed, and she couldn't be sure if it had been an act of heroism or something else, but her pops must have tried to shield the others from the debris.

But it hadn't done any good in the end. He _had_ shielded Kasumi and Nabiki (who were only recognisable due to their clothing), but all three had been crushed to death from the enormous weight of the debris. Mr. Tendo was lying a few feet away; he, too, had apparently tried to save his daughters, but an enormous piece of debris had ended his life. They were all dead, no more than lifeless shells lying in what had become a frozen hell.

Moments later the perspective changed, and Ranma found herself high above Earth. The once beautiful blue-green planet was literally encased in a thick layer of ice; it had become a frozen prison of death for the better part of humanity, a planetary common grave without escape. Ranma barely noticed that a tortured scream escaped her, and seconds later she found herself in front of Dr. Tofu. The horror trip had finally come to an end…

-.-

Ranma Saotome had always strived to keep her – or his, depending on form and weather – emotions in check. But what she had just seen had been way too much even by her standards; she knew in the back of her mind that everything had been a simulation, and ' she had always tried to keep in mind that it wasn't real during the actual 'trip, but the VR had been a tad bit too realistic.

Not knowing how to deal with what she had seen the Saotome girl hugged her knees and sobbed, the images of her dead friends and almost-family still vivid in her mind. "T-They w-were all dead!"

Tofu had always hated to see people suffer, which was one of the main reasons he had chosen his profession, but seeing Ranma suffer, a sometimes boy sometimes girl, who had seen entirely too much in his/her young life, was unlike harder. He truly hated what Ranma was now forced to endure, and had tried beforehand to convince Xenma that forcing Ranma was the wrong way; yet Xenma had only given in when everything had been too late anyway, and it was still questionable if the young boy-turned-girl could be convinced to agree.

But now she needed comfort foremost. **'Not surprising after what she just saw. I had depressions for weeks after I had seen Kasumi die. How bad must it be for Ranma?'** he mused.

Slowly walking up to her the doctor sat down beside her and drew the boy-turned-girl into a comforting hug, slowly rubbing her back in soothing circles. "Ssshhh, Ranma, let it all out. I know what you just saw was gruesome, but that is what _will_ happen if the Queen isn't reborn. I know it will be shocking, but that was no simulation either. That is what Tenma Saotome managed to record when he tapped the Timegates.

"All of them _will_ die, and so will you, with no more than slight variances in the outcome. I swear on my honour as a martial artist and doctor that this is the truth. The majority of our friends and loved ones will die, Ranma. Most probably… Ka… Kasumi too," he concluded in a whisper, wiping away his own tears.

More sobs racked Ranma's body as the images she had seen gained a new quality. She believed the doc that these had been scenarios her ancestor had managed to record, for he had never lied to her in important matters. "And... i-if I fight t-the Senshi...?"

The doctor sighed and smiled bitter-sweetly. "You saw it yourself, Ranma. The recordings you saw stem from alternate timelines where you chose to fight the Senshi unassisted. And the Senshi _will_ win every single time, regardless if you fight them in male or female form, and even we with all our technology and money can't do jack against them. Only the Queen would be able to counter Pluto's powers, but sadly none of us. You saw it yourself, you'd throw your life away and die, and the Great Freeze will kill everyone you care about anyway."

"B-but me… p-pregnant… I just can't, doc! I can't!" Ranma sobbed, hiding her face in her hands.

Tofu placed his right hand under Ranma's chin and lifted her chin up so that she was forced to look at him. "I'm aware that it goes against everything you have ever been taught, and against your self-image in particular. But ask yourself this question: is your ego, your pride of staying male worth the lives of so many innocents, when you would only need to sacrifice a bit of yourself to save them? To save Akane? Kasumi? Ukyo? Your parents? And all the others?"

"B-but I…a … a mother…" Ranma whispered, her tone of voice conveying just how much the concept terrified her.

"Ranma, you will be the _father_, not the mother. The mother is the dead Queen Serenity, who left her DNA for safekeeping in case it would be needed. You, Ranma, will have to act as a kind of surrogate mother, even if we use your genetic material too. Do you understand me so far?" Tofu asked intently.

Ranma remained silent for a few minutes, then she nodded slowly. "B-But still, it would be m-me to carry the baby…"

"Indeed. But isn't it your duty as the father, which you would be, to protect the mother and the unborn child? Granted, Queen Serenity is dead, but seeing as you would be acting as a surrogate mother for her you'd be protecting yourself," Tofu reasoned and readied himself to deliver the final blow. "You, Ranma, have the safest and most protected womb one could imagine, considering your abilities and your dormant magic. Add to that that no other woman on the planet is such a chaos generator as you are, which effectively shrouds you from Sailor Pluto. You _still_ have to be wary of Pluto and her powers seeing that she has millennia of experience working for her, the rest is a walk in the park, as they say."

"B-But…"

"Ranma," the Doctor interrupted, his intent gaze boring into her, "you said you trust me."

A nod from the redhead. "But not farther than I can throw you."

"Which is not saying much," Tofu chuckled, a bright light shining in his brown eyes, "seeing as you could probably throw me right back to Nerima ward by tomorrow. Ranma, I told you the complete and ugly truth when I said that there is no other candidate. _You_ are our only chance to save the world, to save billions of people. Isn't it a martial artists' duty to protect the weak?"

Ranma closed her eyes as the memory of the wailing baby lying on top of its dead parents assaulted her, parents who had probably tried their utmost to save theirs and their child lives. "Yes," she muttered silently.

"Good. Ranma, this isn't easy for me. You always were a younger brother, or sister to me, depending on the weather or Akane's mood," he chuckled, "and believe me when I say that I tried every alternative imaginable beforehand because I knew how you'd react. I really tried, Ranma, for I remember our talks about your experiences on Watermelon Island all too well. I know how much it unsettled you when you learned that you could become a mother."

Ranma's face contorted and she made a retching sound. "Don't remind me of that, doc. The vision of having Kuno's kids was almost enough to drive me insane."

"Understandable," the doctor nodded, an amused snort escaping him. "Anyone would have a colony of bats in their belfry when faced with that. But it would be very different here. You _would_ carry a child that is a mix of your genes and those of the Queen, that much is true. But there will be no sex with a guy, no overly invasive method, nothing of that kind. Just forty weeks during which you'd have to be a surrogate mother in order to save the world. We wouldn't ask it of you if we had another way, Ranma."

The redhead said nothing for a few moments, and then she sighed and closed her eyes. Everything Doctor Tofu had told her was the truth, as far as she could tell. Would it really be so bad if she could save Akane... and all the others? And the world?

Ranma couldn't deny that the doc had raised some pretty good points. Essentially, she, or rather her male form would be the father while she would act as the surrogate mother. **'Let's suppose Akane… or someone else and I had married and she wouldn't be able to have kids 'cause of some medical shit. Wouldn't I have agreed to carry our children so that we could have children at all? Face it, Saotome, the answer is yes…'**

"Doc, before I agree to anything, why was I knocked out and brought here?" Ranma asked out of the blue.

Dr. Tofu sighed and rubbed his temples for a moment. "Ranma, I'll be honest and upfront with you. The original plan envisioned that you'd be knocked out and brought here, which happened. It was further planned that you were to be impregnated without your consent-"

Ranma growled, interrupting him. "I suspected something like that," she growled icily, angry at the fact that she couldn't access her ki to wreck some serious havoc; but postponed was not abandoned, as they say. "Continue," she commanded.

"Err, yes," Tofu almost stammered and pushed his glasses up in a nervous gesture; even without her powers the redhead was scary! "Well, your grandmother convinced your grandfather to alter the plan. She couldn't bear to see her granddaughter subjected to this, and I believe her exact words were something to the effect that she had 'already embosomed you completely' despite not knowing you for longer than one hour."

"Hn. How nice of grandma. So I'll just have to set gramps straight then. Good to know," the redhead groused and balled her right hand to a fist which she smacked into her palm.

"He only did what he thought he had to do. Ranma, Pluto _killed_ your ancestor, Tenma. She staged the great ice and will kill billions of people, even if indirectly. For your grandfather you are the only shot at preventing this, at getting back at Pluto. He got carried away, no doubt about it, and taking your choice away is unforgivable. But try to understand him. He wants to preserve the world as it is, and had to make some tough choices to get to where he is now. Believe me, it was not easy on him," Tofu said seriously.

"I understand that very well, doc. I had some tough choices to make as well in my life, as you very well know. But enough of that for now. You've been honest with me, and for that I'm grateful. But now I really gotta think about all that shit. Could ya leave alone?"

Dr. Tofu nodded and bowed his head slightly. "Of course. Please, use the intercom over there at the wall once you've reached a decision. But before I go, remember a martial artists' first duty," he stressed.

"Protect the weak…" Ranma muttered, just loud enough to be heard.

"Indeed. And now you could protect and save a whole world. You just have to make the right decision…"

Tofu's words echoed in Ranma's ears as he exited the room, leaving the redhead to her thoughts.

-.-

Nodoka, her parents and Ayame were congregated in another section of the underground complex and waited with bated breath for Ranma to make her decision. Worry was written on each face, and each of them were feeling regretful and even ashamed to a certain extent that they had put Ranma through what might be the worst experience of her short life.

Doctor Tofu had rejoined them a minute prior and had informed them in a short and crisp fashion that the boy-turned-girl had received all information and was now trying to reach a decision. A decision she could only make alone.

"Damn that Pluto for forcing me to do this to my child," Nodoka growled, her eyes flashing angrily. "My only hope is that Ranma will be able to forgive me some day."

Lara, who was sitting to her daughter's left on a three-piece sofa with Xenma sitting beside her in silent contemplation put an arm around Nodoka. "That's something we all hope, No-chan."

"It's especially bad that our only salvation goes up against Ranma's views of herself, and that completely and utterly. I once said to Mr. Saotome that Ranma's curse should be handled more openmindedly, but sadly, I was ignored," Dr. Tofu mused with a long-suffering sigh.

Nodoka sighed and squeezed her mother's hand while looking at the doctor. "Yes, I made many mistakes in dealing with my child. Today has really opened my eyes to that. But from now on I'll be there for her, she'll never be alone again." she vowed.

Lara nudged her daughter in the ribs and looked at her sternly. "I hope for your sake that this manliness bull is _really_ buried and forgotten, No-chan. Otherwise I might be forced to do something you'll regret. Have I made myself clear, young lady?"

Nodoka sighed and bowed her head. "Yes, mother. I promise that these stupid ideas are gone from my mind. For good."

"Good, No-chan. Ranma will need us in the coming months, but especially _you_. You'll have the chance to build a completely new relationship, but it will be very hard in the beginning. Her trust in us has likely been completely erased," Lara sighed, sadness tinting his voice.

"That is indeed very likely," Dr. Tofu agreed and briefly bowed his head before meeting Lara's eyes again. "Ranma is a person to trust easily, but once you have lost her trust it will be incredibly hard to regain it. However, her forgiving nature might go a long way in helping us out, but all of us will have to be completely honest with her from now on. No hidden agendas, no hidden motives."

Everyone nodded in understanding. "Kami-sama forgive us," Nodoka bre thed.

-.-

Two hours had passed and Ranma had still not given word. Despite the fact that the boy-turned-girl might get angry with them, worry won over caution and the group led by Nodoka and Lara opened the door to the living room to check up on Ranma.

Nodoka entered the room first, cautiously. Peering at the sofa she saw that Ranma was apparently fast asleep, but when she tiptoed over towards her daughter she saw that Ranma was unnaturally pale as well. Now really worried she sat down and tried to waken her. "She won't wake," she exclaimed worriedly to the others after several tries.

"Let's have a look…" the doctor of the group said, producing a scanning-device. "Ah, there's the problem… the drugs haven't been flushed out of her system, and due to the fact that her ki isn't working properly it's affecting her much more than I'd have thought. That should remedy it…" he mused and gave her an injection.

The others looked on in worry and let him do his work, which had apparently been effective, seeing that a low moan could be heard a minute later. "Good, she's coming around," Dr. Tofu muttered, looking up from his device. "Her vitals are stabilising, she'll be fully awake in a few seconds."

Nodoka smiled thankfully and stroked her daughter's hair while holding her hand. "Ranma, honey, how are you feeling?"

"Like I had a fight with Taro and lost," the younger redhead moaned. "Mom, I'm thirsty. Water, please?"

Ayame had already become active and brought the requested drink. "Drink slowly, Mistress," she advised.

Ranma, who had recovered by now, glared at her for various reasons, but complied when Ayame set the glass to her lips. The glass was removed once she had finished, and as soon as that was the case Ranma glared into the round. "First off, what the hell happened? I'm pretty damn sure I hadn't used the intercom…"

"Dear," her mother interrupted before Ranma could develop a full head of steam, "it's just that we got worried when we hadn't heard a blip from you in hours."

Ranma saw the honesty in her mother's eyes and nodded. "Okay. But you know that you're all friggin insane, right?" she growled, lacing especially Xenma with a burning glare. "And I must be too…" she muttered, shaking her head.

Before hope could flare up because of Ranma's words the redhead focussed her attention solely on Tofu. "Doc, do you swear on your honour as a martial artist and a doctor that everything you showed me was the truth? The complete, undiluted fucking truth?" she asked intently, discreetly scanning the auras of the others while seemingly concentrating on the good doctor.

Tofu looked her square in the eyes without blinking, and his unguarded brown eyes held the answer. The doctor made no attempt to hide his aura either when he answered. "Yes, Ranma. The complete truth, nothing more, nothing less. Akane, Kasumi, Ukyo, the others… They are all going to die if the Asteroid isn't stopped. No one aside from the Queen can do that, Ranma. No one."

The redhead bowed her head to hide her tears, wiping them away with her sleeve. He had said nothing but the truth, and she hadn't sensed deceit from the others. Everyone she held dear would indeed die, and there was nothing she could do safe one thing. Finally looking back up she spoke up again. "All of you, please leave me alone. I need some time to think before I make my decision, seeing that I fell asleep and all that."

"Of course, honey," her mother agreed with a real smile.

"But…" Xenma began to protest.

"No, Xen," Lara interrupted and laced her husband with a stern glare. "It is her decision, and we should have asked for her help from the start. I'm ashamed at what we did, and we will… not… force… her," she concluded adamantly. "Ranma-honey, use the intercom once you have reached a decision, okay?"

The Saotome patriarch sighed inwardly, but nodded nevertheless. He knew it was useless to discuss with his wife when she was like this, and he still had ways to ensure that the plan was carried out if Ranma refused. Giving in wouldn't weaken his position at all and might prove to be to his benefit. "Agreed, Lara-chan. Ranma-chan, we will leave you to your thoughts. But I can only stress once more how important your decision is. Billions of lives are riding on it."

Ranma, who had been secretly pleased by her grandmother's reaction, even though she was wary that it could still be a ploy despite that she hadn't sensed deceit in her grandma, immediately glared at her grandfather. "I won't talk to you, grandfather," she spat acidly, her eyes two chips of ice. "What you did to me went beyond the pale, and it's 'cause of my sense of duty and fuckin' necessity that I even consider agreeing to your crazy plan. I know my duties, but you forgot yours to the Clan and its members. Now leave me the hell alone!"

Xenma looked at her for a few seconds and sighed then in defeat. "As you wish," he replied in a carefully neutral tone and left the room.

Nodoka, Lara and Dr. Tofu gave Ranma encouraging smiles before they too followed the Saotome patriarch.

-.-

Finally being more awake enabled Ranma to think. Slowly, carefully the redhead got out of the bed, her ki-paths having recovered enough so that she could pace without fear of landing flat on her face. She had always been able to think best when in motion, and even though the bedroom of roughly twenty square metres didn't exactly give her much space it was nevertheless sufficient. Ranma frowned deeply as she paced, sorting through her thoughts.

**'What they've shown me is the truth. I'd have noticed if the doc had lied. So that means that Akane… Kasumi… Ukyo… Nabiki… pops… and all the others are going to die. Maybe not all of them, but does it make a difference? I couldn't bear it if even one of them died, 'specially not if I could've made a difference. And even if we got them all to safety, what about the billions of people we can't get to safety?'** she thought, pausing in her pacing for a second.

**'We can't terr… terraform or escape either…'** she mused grimly, resuming her pacing, **'So doing… **_**that**_**… is really the only way. But why do I hafta be the only one sui… suitable? Not that I don't believe the doc, but why me? It's just not fair!'** the redhead wailed inwardly.

Letting out a frustrated sigh Ranma ran her fingers through her hair, the unconscious gesture being testament to how churned up she was inside. **'Damn, Nabiki was right, as usual. I should have listened. But nooo, stupid trusting me runs straight into the trap… nope, can't trust gramps, grandma and mom at all… they wanted to **_**force**_** me! Grandma and mom not as much as gramps as it seems, but still… I don't even know if I can ever forgive them for planning to use me this way! But what to do? Can't even use Drowned Twin water, 'cause it would still be **_**me**_**… that shucks.'**

Grumbling Ranma sat down on the ground Indian style and put her head in her hands. **'If I flee and do nothing the ones I care about will die, and I might very well die a meaningless death myself. If I stay and agree I'll be a mom… maybe not a real mom, but it would be **_**me**_** to carry the kid… how did doc call it? Surrogate mom? Am I strong enough to do that?'** she asked herself, her head dropping even more.

**'Doc said I'd be the father…'** she reasoned with herself,** 'I only have to carry the kid 'cause there ain't anybody else who could. I'd not be its real mom… but still, I'm a guy, damn it! Stupid pops… It's all his fault for dragging me to Jusenkyo! Why couldn't **_**he**_** have fallen into the Spring?'** she groused, glaring angrily at the ground.

**'Enough with the pity party now, Saotome. Ya gotta make a tough decision, and bitching and whining ain't gonna help. So I, or better, my kid can save the world if I decide to play surrogate mom… my kid could save all of 'em I care about… This ain't about if I'm a guy or not, this is about if I got the balls to do what needs to be done… Even if my stupid Clan will pay for trying to spring that on me without asking me.'**

Getting up from her seated position Ranma resumed her pacing, a look of intense concentration on her face. **'Damn, I can't get the looks Akane and Ucchan had on their faces outta my head… Kasumi, Nabiki, pops, Ryoga… all dead and frozen… and then that baby… seeing that really gave me the creeps.**

'**I can prevent that, can't I? Damn, I don't wanna lose them… nearly losing Akane was bad enough… even though I don't love her as anything but a sister anymore… ****I couldn't stand to lose any of them… their frozen bodies… and their lifeless faces… all of 'em… never saw anything more gruelling… I ain't got no choice. It's my duty to prevent it, to help my kid prevent it from happening. Can't back down from the challenge to save 'n' protect the whole friggin world now, can I?'**

A scowl appeared on her face as a thought crossed her mind. **'Doc also said that they wanted to force me… who says they ain't gonna do that anyway if I say no? I got no way of escaping as I'm now, and I bet they got ways to stop me if I tried to flee. Fuck, I really got no damn choice. Hafta do it and get their damn trust, and once I got it I'm gonna get the hell outta here so fast their heads are gonna spin!' **

Her face firmed and settled into a determined expression. **'Okay, I'll do it, but I'll do it on **_**my**_** terms. My Clan shall think that they've won, that I'll be a good little girl,'** she grinned wickedly at this point, **'and go along with their wishes. But the heck I will, and they'll only find out once it's too late. I'll raise the kid by myself, and once we're done saving the world I'm so gonna lay down a few rules. Oh yeah. I-'**

Ranma's internal monologue was all of a sudden interrupted by the door opening with a swish, and in stepped her grandfather, his face sporting an utterly serious expression. "I know you're very cross with me, Ranma, and I can perfectly understand why," he said as he walked up to his granddaughter, and he held up his left hand to stall her retort, his right hand holding some kind of ultra thin thing Ranma'd never seen before, "But I won't apologise for doing what I feel is the right thing. And now I'm here to show you why I think that only you'll be able to do the job.

"The others don't know I'm here, and will never know unless you choose to tell them. This is completely off the books, and you'll learn the real reasons why I did what I did. No one, not even your grandmother knows, and she - like your mother and everyone else - thinks that the asteroid is our only problem. Alas, if only it were so!"

Ranma couldn't help but feel intrigued and swallowed her ire for the time being, and using her soul of ice she managed to keep her face impassive. "Go on."

Xenma walked over to the bed, placed the flat thing on the pillow and sat down. His face still impassive he beckoned Ranma to do the same. "Don't worry, I don't bite," he said dryly. "On second thought, your grandmother'd probably rat me out, so I assume I do bite after all."

"Old geezers like you shouldn't talk like that," Ranma scoffed, stared at Xenma for a few moments to show him that it was her decision and then walked over to the bed and sat down beside Xenma, whose eyes were glittering amusedly.

The Saotome patriarch opened up the laptop (for that's what it turned out to be, much to Ranma's astonishment) and fired it up, his serious dark eyes glancing at Ranma. "What I'm going to show you is the best kept secret of our Clan, and the complete and utter truth. Only a few of our most loyal scientists are in the know aside from me, only we know the terrible truth. A truth I'm going to share with you. Now watch closely..."

And watch Ranma did.

-.-

Almost one hour later, her grandfather having left long ago, an empty, drained and most of all shocked Ranma Saotome stared off into space, her mind still going over the shocking facts she had learned. The redhead remained in this position, frozen like a statue, for what seemed to be hours until she slowly raised her head, having come to a decision.

Slowly but deliberately she got to her feet and walked over to where the intercom was installed and pushed the appropriate button. "Ya can come in now. I'll do it," she simply said, numb fingers sliding down the wall.

**to be continued**…


	5. Chapter 5

**Title**: Chaotic Rebirth

**Author name**: Trugeta  
**  
Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ as well as Naoko Takeuchi and many others. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Note further that I don't own any of the trademarks mentioned in this story.  
**  
**This story takes place after the failed wedding in the Ranma series and the defeat of Galaxia in the Sailor Moon Series. It's an AU, and reviews are welcome and appreciated.

**  
Chapter 5**

**  
**In one of the living rooms of Saotome Manor trembling hands pushed the button that deactivated the intercom, and a pale Dr. Tofu, who had been nearest to the communications device slowly turned around to face the other occupants of the room. "She… Ranma will do it."

Disbelieving faces slowly acquired looks of happiness, save for one. Even though he was as pleased as the others, Xenma wore a neutral expression. He knew he had probably lost his grandchild for good, and even though he hadn't really known her save from the reports it still hurt. Yet, in his mind he hadn't had another choice but to act the way he had. The goals justified the means, in this case more than ever, and he'd have to live with his decision till the end of his life. "Good, doctor. Has she said anything else?" he inquired in a neutral tone.

Tofu, who was still shuddering inside from the icy-cold tone Ranma had spoken in, nodded. "Yes. She asked me to re-establish her ki-flows. And it makes sense, for with her ki-flows at normal she'd have a much easier time recuperating, which would be beneficial to the child."

"Good, doc. Then do as she requested," spoke up Lara before her husband could utter a tone.

"Can we go in, doctor?" Nodoka asked impatiently. "I'd like to see her."

"No, she requested that I enter alone. Once I'm done I'll call you in. I'm sure she'll allow it," the doctor replied.

Nodoka sighed, but nodded in reluctant acceptance. "Tell her that I love her, and that I'm proud of her."

"Of course," Tofu replied as he exited the room.

-.-

A wary Dr. Tofu who had mentally prepared himself for everything reentered the living room Ranma currently resided in, and he did good to be wary how he noticed. Ranma was watching him like a hawk, and the sight made him sigh internally. The young teen had always been incredibly quick to trust, and it had been them who had put the mistrust that was plain visible on her face in her heart. Sighing once more in his mind he put up his professional mask.

"Ranma, I'll take a look at your ki-paths now, if you allow me."

"'kay, doc. But no funny business, got me?"

"Of course, Ranma," Dr. Tofu agreed right away. "Please lie down on your stomach, I have to start with the points on your back. To that effect, could you please remove your pullover?"

Ranma gave him a piercing stare, but the doctor had already averted his gaze to allow the redhead enough modesty for undressing. It wasn't that Ranma even cared if the good doctor saw her bits (which he had countless times in the past), it was just to drive home the point that she didn't trust him. She might have come to the conclusion that she would to do what was asked of her, but the doctor's story had loads of holes in it that told her that he hadn't been entirely honest with her.

He might have a good reason for it, namely his want to save Kasumi, but this reason was little better in her opinion than what her grandparents had going for them. All in all it gave her that much more reason to flee. No one here was really trustworthy, and she'd learn everything she could about pregnancies and related stuff, recover her strength and gain their trust. It also couldn't hurt to learn as much as she could about magic, her own Clan and the Sailor Senshi, among things. And then, when the window of opportunity would present itself she'd escape those betrayers. Oh yeah.

The boy-turned girl finally did as asked and slowly removed the plain hoodie sweater she had been provided with and lay down onto her stomach on the comfy couch. "Ready when you are, doc," she said disinterestedly and without a hint of warmth in her voice.

"Good, Ranma," Dr. Tofu replied and sat down at Ranma's side, giving no outward reaction to Ranma's cold tone.

Moments later the redhead felt the doctor's fingers working on her back, and she closed her eyes against her will. One could say what one wanted, but when it came to massage, shiatsu and pressure points the doc was a master, plain and simple. She could already feel her ki beginning to restore itself to order with the help of those magic fingers, and it was a good feeling to finally feel somewhat normal again. The doctor pressed several pressure points on her lower back and then stopped.

"Okay, now please turn onto your back, Ranma. Just a few more pressure points and you are as good as new," he said, and Ranma could hear the friendly smile in his tone.

Ranma did as was asked of her. Facing him she looked into his eyes. "Doc, have you thought 'bout what's gonna happen when Kasumi learns of what You did?" she asked, well aware of the danger of what might happen when Kasumi's name was mentioned.

To her relief just the glasses of the doc fogged over for a second. "I see you expected me to tap-dance through the room or manhandle you with some shiatsu. That's thankfully almost over and done with, which is thanks to several meditation exercises your grandmother taught me. She has seen and learned much in her life, and I'm very grateful for her help.

"But now to your original question," he almost whispered, his expression thoughtful. "I'm well aware that she might react… badly and most likely will, and I'm fully aware she might find me repulsive due to what I have done, that she might never want to see me again," he said in a sad tone. "But better to save her through my contribute to the plan and keep the chance that she might realise why I did what I did than see her die. Given the choice I'd do it again every time."

"I see, doc. Ain't likin' it one bit, but I can understand You. Not that I've forgiven You or anythin', dunno if I ever will, but I understand You. Now get on with it. Am sure my dear gramps can't wait to have the bun put in my oven," Ranma groused, deliberately slipping into slang to convey how agitated she was.

Dr. Tofu nodded thoughtfully. "He _is_ very eager to implement the plan. I can't and won't justify his actions, but at least try to understand him."

"What's there to understand, doc?" Ranma spat and stared hard at the doctor. "He's usin' me, like almost everyone else in my life. That I understand just fine."

"Ranma, you must understand why he did what he did. It all comes back to your ancestor Tenma. You know that he created the Gates of Time, and you know how he tapped them to learn of Pluto's plans. He made it the duty of the Saotome Clan to stop Pluto, or rather, to stop her plan of bringing about the Great Freeze. It might seem cruel to you that he wanted to have you force-impregnated, and it is, but what if you could save the lives of billions through making that one, hard decision?"

"That's bullshit, doc! He coulda asked me, damn it! But no, try to gain stupid Ranma's trust, knock her out and then up! Just friggin great!" Ranma spat and took a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly. "You have an inkling how much it hurts than everyone in my life is making decisions for me without even asking me beforehand? Mr. Tendo, Pops, Mom and now my dear grandpa. Says a lot 'bout my family, don't it?"

The doctor sighed as he continued to regulate Ranma's ki. "I admit that it could have, no, should have been handled better. Had it been for me and your grandmother we would have slowly prepared you, and I'm pretty sure you would have agreed in the end. But your grandfather lost what patience he had left when we found out about 'Doombringer', that Asteroid you have seen. He felt compelled to act, and sadly, hotheadedness is a common trait in the Saotome line."

"Now that's a shoddy way of sayin' he acted like an asshole," Ranma growled, her voice so low and angry that it seemed to cut right through the doctor like a blast of cold air.

"Ranma, try to see it from his point of view… all of his ancestors have worked to stop Pluto, and the duty was passed down to him. It was revealed on his watch what would bring about the deaths of billions, and in face of that he had to ask himself, what is one life compared to billions? What is the trust of one compared to the lives of the world?

"Xenma has always been very pragmatic and goal oriented from what I can tell, and it culminated in the one decision to use you. I won't and can't justify his actions, but just try to see his position," he concluded almost pleadingly as he pressed more pressure points.

The redhead growled. "He's a total ass, and I hate what he did to me. How'd you feel if you were the one in question, huh? It's all fine and good to talk about the poor victim whose gotta make the big sacrifice, but that damn victim is me! Fuck, if it comes to asking somethin' of someone my fucking family takes the fucking fruitcake! With nuts on top!" she exclaimed heatedly, shaking her head in obvious anger.

"I admit that it was handled… sub-optimally, but what's done is done. Now we can only look ahead, Ranma, and hope that everything goes as planned. We weren't joking when we said that this is our only shot. Your Clan has searched for alternatives for years, has tried to plan for each and every eventuality, but 'Doombringer' has thrown all plans right out of the window," Dr. Tofu said softly, a grim expression on his face.

Ranma growled in frustration. "Let me guess… something highly sc-scientifically or some such shit, huh?"

"In fact, yes. I'm pretty sure you guessed that your Clan has some pretty potent technology at its disposal, right? Well, if not, then you know now," Tofu chuckled nervously at Ranma's glare, then became serious again. "Clan Saotome has weapons that could pulverise just about anything, so stopping a normal asteroid would be piece of cake, as they say. However, 'Doombringer' is different."

"Different how?" asked Ranma, her curiosity piqued against her will.

"Our scientists aren't completely sure if it is Pluto's doing, but they say that it can't be of natural origin. The Asteroid is shielded by an anomaly, something that distorts the time-space-continuum. Our scientists have never seen anything even remotely like it, and their simulations estimate that any weapon fired at the Asteroid wouldn't even reach it, regardless if nuclear, energy or projectile weapon.

"They assume that the beam, rocket or whatever wouldn't impact the Asteroid but would either be sent into the past or future, where it'd explode harmlessly. They have nothing in their data bases from the Silver Millennium on it, so developing a weapon type that could destroy the Asteroid is hardly possible," he said, his voice breaking a little.

"Just friggin great. And what can the effin Queen do about it? As for that, how d'You expect a two year old to stop a friggin big Asteroid? Throw her nappies at it or what?" Ranma asked sarcastically.

The doctor pressed a few last pressure points and shook his head, a small smile playing in the corner of his lips. "Interesting mental image, but no," he shook his head, his expression turning serious. "You can redress now, Ranma, we're all done. As for your question," he began as Ranma pulled her sweater over her head, "you're right, a two year old could hardly do anything, regardless her magical potential. However, the Queen won't be a two year old by that time any more."

"Huh? What d'You mean?" Ranma asked, her head tilted in confusion.

"Ranma, you're not going to like this, of that I'm sure. Why? Simply because I didn't like it one bit either. But sadly, there is nothing either of us can do about it, as the decision to make it so had already been made 15,000 years ago," Tofu explained and smiled bitterly.

"Doc," Ranma growled, "don't stall. Out with it!"

Tofu sighed and nodded. "You must know, when your ancestor, Queen Serenity the VI. donated genetic material she was well aware that she would die. She had however hoped that at least some of her Empire would survive and that her successor, born from her genetic material would reform the Empire. Yet, as we know, that never came to be.

"The man known as Tenma had to flee the Moon when it became obvious that the Silver Empire was doomed. He neither had the resources nor the opportunity to revive the Queen, and the plan had been for her to return to rule as soon as possible had failed anyway. There just was nothing left to rule over any more."

Ranma raised her eyebrows inquiringly. "But what does that hafta do with how the new Queen can do anything in three years, doc?"

"I'll come to that, Ranma. Well, Tenma kept the samples safe and made the decision to hibernate in hopes the times would get better, you know as much. He learned of Pluto's plan and implemented the plan you now know of, and which is now about to be carried out by his descendant Xenma.

"To ensure that the new Queen would've been able to take up her reign over the Empire Queen Serenity VI. had the DNA altered. She knew the new her had to arrive on the scene as fast as possible so as to reform the Empire, prevent Pirate attacks and such, and to this end the DNA was modified in such a way to allow for rapid aging. From the day the new Queen was to be born she'd age within the span of two years to the physical age of 20, and she'd regain all of her knowledge and experience within this time," the doctor explained.

"I know, I know," he added at seeing Ranma's dark look, "It means effectively stealing 18 years off of her; which is why I hated this just as much as you do. But there's nothing we can do about it, Ranma. It has all been decided several millennia ago."

"How do I know you're not lying to me, doc? It could all have been enig… engi… engineered by your scientists. Not to unbelievable after all the shit You guys pulled." Ranma retorted, crossing her arms under her chest.

"Ranma, I swear on my honour as a martial artist and doctor that that's the truth," Tofu said solemnly.

The redhead snorted. "Feh. Dunno if that's enough for me any more, doc. Can't say you outright lied to me, but what you said 'bout me being the father is bullshit. Have slept through most classes, but even I know that when you combine two egg-cells no one's gonna be the dad. I didn't accept the 'duty' 'cause of that, but 'cause I won't let my friends and family die. So try again 'bout not lying," she stated flatly, looking just a tad smug.

Tofu, who had been surprised at Ranma's accurate analysis, chuckled after regaining his balance. "Touché, Ranma. But I swear on my father's grave, this is the truth. We even have records from Tenma of his own research; it was the Queen that included the rapid aging in the neo-Queen. And that is what'll save us, Ranma, as much as we may hate it."

Ranma, who had once again checked the doctor's aura for deceit, nodded thoughtfully. "So the fuckin' plan makes me a mother and robs my kid off of eighteen years of her life. Just fucking great," she grumbled with a sigh and massaged her temples. "But how is she gonna stop the Asteroid if that monster is shielded against attack? I know that everything has a weak point, and you guys must have a plan to expli… exploit that big stones' weaknesses."

"Simple, Ranma. The Silver Crystal. It's the most powerful artefact known to the Silver Millennium, able to overcome nearly anything if the will of its user is strong enough. Is the shield based on Pluto's powers it'll be able to overcome it, much like a hot knife cuts through butter," explained Tofu in a neutral tone.

"Neat, doc. And what if that shield ain't? What then?" the redhead asked sarcastically.

A grim expression replaced the neutral one Tofu had worn before. "Then it's likely that we're all screwed. But I'm confident that that won't be the case."

Ranma shook her head, muttering something about optimists and fools. "'kay, doc. Let's get that bullshit over and done with then. Where to now?"

"Well, it was originally planned that your family would spend some time with you before the procedure takes place, and your mother wanted to see you. That reminds me, she wants me to tell you that she loves you and that she's proud of you," Tofu said as if remembering that just now.

The redhead snorted. "My, how nice of her. Hmm, thinkin' 'bout it, lead me to 'em, doc."

Tofu shuddered due to the cold and sarcastic tone Ranma had used, but nodded anyway. "Follow me."

Ranma nodded and did so. Mercifully it didn't take more than a few moments to reach the quarters the Saotomes and Ayame currently resided in, and Ranma's senses told her that the doctor had led her true. Pushing the door open Ranma looked into the faces of her so called family.

The redhead noted right away that her mother was genuinely happy to see her, and she could sense motherly concern from her aura as well, which surprised her to some extent. Ranma still didn't really believe in the changes her mother had supposedly undergone, and she would remain wary at all events; maybe it was just another strange quirk or mood-swing, and besides, she was still mad at the woman for being part of this conspiracy.

The young Saotome sensed much the same things from her grandmother, but due to the fact that she didn't really know the woman she really had no idea if she wasn't some master-actor who could even manipulate her aura; no, better safe than sorry. Not changing her facial expression, which probably made her look like a walking ice-statue, Ranma focussed on her grandfather. His own face gave nothing away, and she could sense from his aura that he was not the least bit sorry. 'Well, no surprise there,' Ranma thought with a mental shrug.

She didn't react to the disappointed faces of her mother and grandmother, and without missing a beat Ranma suddenly blasted forward, blurring from view faster than anyone could hope to follow. In an instant she had decked her grandfather, hard, and the blow sent him into the far wall. "That was for tryin' to take away my choice. Now I'm ready for the procedure, doc," she stated coolly, ignoring the incredulous stares from the others.

-.-

It hadn't taken long to prepare a Ranma who had ignored all attempts of her mother and grandmother to talk to her, and twenty minutes after the incident with Xenma the young redhead was already laying on an operating table. She had been informed that she'd probably be out cold until next day, but considering that it was 11 p.m. already that was fine by her. Dr. Tofu and his colleague had already finished making all necessary preparations, and the redhead nodded towards the doctor she had once trusted completely.

Taking the signal Tofu nodded back at Ranma and gave her the thumbs-up before nodding at his assistant. Said assistant confirmed and placed a respiratory mask on Ranma's face. "You'll be back in the land of the living in a few, Ranma. Just relax now," Tofu said in a soothing voice.

"'Kay, doc. And if You pull some shit I'm gonna kill You, slowly, got that? Sleepy now…" the redhead mumbled before sinking fully into darkness' embrace.

Tofu looked at the monitors. "She's out like a light. Ladies and Gentlemen, we got some work ahead of us."

"You can say that again, Tofu," exclaimed his colleague, Dr. van Galen. "Now let us work our wonders."

-.-

**Next morning**

Ranma awoke with a splitting headache, and in an unfamiliar room. Her whole body hurt like hell, and she was sore all over. Aside from that, she was feeling rather weak and disoriented. **'Damn, it was no dream. They've really gone through with that crazy plan, and I must've been even crazier to give in to them! Only hope it was worth it…'** the redhead thought sourly after she had come to fully.

A quick assessment of her situation told her that she was in a large bedroom, lying in a fairly-sized four-poster. She could move her hands freely as far as her IV allowed, which told her that she was not bound by any fetters. Good, she hadn't really expected to be bound, but to be honest, she wouldn't put anything past her grandfather at this point.

Cursing her tiredness Ranma tried to mobilise all of her strength, only to find it utterly insufficient; her body apparently wanted her to rest, much to her annoyance. Ranma had just uttered a few choice words that expressed her dissatisfaction with the current situation and the universe at large when she heard voices from the outside. **'My mom and my grandparents. Hmm, it'd probably be a good idea to act cross with them. Yeah, why not have some fun… besides, I **_**am**_** still cross with 'em,'** she thought darkly.

"I told you she was awake," Xenma's voice exclaimed. "She's strong, even when she's weak."

"Don't talk so much, father, I want to see how my daughter is!" her mother's voice exclaimed, obvious impatience tingeing her voice.

"I agree with No-chan. Open that stupid door, Xen. Now," another voice exclaimed in an equally impatient tone, which could only belong to her grandmother.

"Women." Xenma complained, and finally complied after he had uttered a muffled "Ouch!". Little later the sole door swung open, and her so called family stepped in.

"Oh hello, mom," Ranma said fake-pleasantly. "So, did the procedure work?"

Nodoka nodded with twinkling eyes, mistaking her daughter's tone for real pleasantness. "It has indeed, daughter, and the good doctor said that everything is developing normally. You're indeed pregnant, dear, and I'm relieved to see that you have accepted that it was necessary."

"Now you'll finally get your wish of having grandchildren, won'tcha?" Ranma whispered with a fake-smile. "Neat, ain't it? As for accepting it, I have, but I ain't forgivin' you," she concluded icily, her blue eyes drilling into her mother's.

Nodoka was taken aback by the coldness of Ranma's tone. "I… we…" she stuttered, for the first time in long unsure of her words.

Lara stepped forward and smiled at Ranma, despite the younger redhead's obvious (and justified) mood. "Dear, we did what we did because it was necessary. You saw it yourself, billions will die if Pluto isn't stopped. She decided to cover this beautiful world in ice, making it a frozen prison of death for billions of people. More than ninety percent of the human race would die! We… I hate what we had to do to you, but you're our only chance to save the world, Ranma. Please, try to understand us."

"There's it again. 'Try to understand, Ranma. We had to do it, Ranma.' Not a 'thank you for your sacrifice or sumthin'. Just as usual, everyone uses me like a tool that's gonna be put back into the tool box after its work is done," the redhead scoffed and laughed humourlessly. "Ranma Saotome, all-purpose tool. Can even cook coffee and cuts vegetables in three different settings. Feh."

"Ranma, we…" her mother began, laying her hand on Ranma's arm.

The younger redhead held her hand up, favouring Nodoka with a withering glare. "Spare me. I'm sick and tired of hearin' this bullshit. You all needed me for a specia… specific task, like all the others. Pops and Mr. Tendo wanna marry me off to Akane so that the fucking schools are joined, Shampoo and Cologne want me for the stupid tribe so that they have their breeding stock, Ukyo wants me to regain her honour and to work in her restaurant, and you want me to give birth to the saviour of the world. Just take all your supposed higher moral ground and leave this fucking room and me alone. Got me?" she asked icily.

"If you want an apology from me, you're not going to get one," Xenma spoke up, his voice as even as ever. "I did what I had to do, and I won't apologise for trying to save the world and the human race."

"All of you," Ranma said immediately in the gruffest voice she could muster, "leave me alone. I need some time to myself. Just get out. GET THE HELL OUT!" she yelled at the top of her voice.

Nodoka let go of Ranma as if she had been burned, and backed away with a sad expression. Xenma, completely unimpressed by Ranma's outburst, surveyed her with a stern glance. "I understand that you're furious with us, but you'll have to cooperate with us sooner or later. There's much you must learn, Ranma, and you have a responsibility towards your child.

"It is the weakest of all, and it needs all the protection you can offer. That requires that you train in the ways of magic. I have never seen you back down from a challenge before. Will you this time?" he asked with one eyebrow raised, before motioning the others out.

Ranma pretended to not having heard a word as she sunk back into the pillows, but what her grandfather had said gnawed at her. It was true, the child that had been forced onto her was the weakest being imaginable, and it needed protection. Her protection. But she was a guy, so why should she feel the need to protect it? **'This is so darn confusing! Stupid bastards, forcing me through such a fuckin' situation…'** were her irritated thoughts before sleep claimed her.

-.-

Several dimensions away in a pocket-dimension that existed in a ninety-degree angle in relation to the normal time-space-continuum a tall, green-haired woman wearing a black-and-white fuku was standing in front of the object she had guarded for uncounted millennia, the Gates of Time. Setsuna Meiou aka Sailor Pluto was just busy scanning the timeline for any threats to Crystal Tokyo, when she was suddenly hit by a massive causality wave. It extended even into the physical world, and its force introduced her undeniably cute backside to the flooring. Quite hard.

"Oof!" the Senshi of Time exclaimed as she was sent to the ground, coming to rest in a crumpled heap. "What in the name of Pluto was that?"

Setsuna Meiou got back to her feet with a sense of immense dread and hurried over to the Gates of Time. Using her powers she immediately scanned the timeline, and what she discovered let her pale dramatically. "No… no… it can't be! It's gone… from every possible future… but that can't be! It just can't!" the Senshi of time muttered, and the fear she felt made her redouble her efforts. But regardless of what she did, regardless of which trick she used, the result remained the same. Crystal Tokyo was gone. "NO!" she cried out.

Sailor Pluto sank to her knees, desperation overwhelming her. Everything she had worked for, every event she had manipulated and every person she had disposed of, all for naught? Fifteen thousand years of hard work, of careful planning and implementing, negated in one second? She had sacrificed entirely too much to ensure that this timeline led directly up to Crystal Tokyo, and she had been so certain that Galaxia had been the last great threat before the Great Freeze.

Everything had gone according to plan. The asteroid was well on course and would reach Earth in about three years, and she had ensured that Earth didn't have the technology to deal with it. She had done everything to ensure that Usagi could unite the remnants of Earths' population as Queen Serenity after the worst of the Great Freeze had been overcome.

So what in the name of the nine hells had happened to destroy her carefully hatched plans? Which event could have brought about such massive changes in the timeline that the probability of Crystal Tokyo's coming about had dropped from 96, 4 percent to zero in the blink of an eye?

A look of determination settled on her face and Setsuna pushed herself back to her feet. "I have worked too hard and too long to have my plans ruined just before they bear fruit. I'm not the Senshi of Time for nothing, I will find out what caused this, and I will eliminate the said cause. No one is going to destroy my dreams!" she vowed and concentrated on finding said cause.

Little did she know how much of a headache this easy seeming task would cause…

-.-

Endless minutes later Sailor Pluto was getting frustrated. Really frustrated. Where she was used to achieving immediate results with the Gates of Time this time proved to be an exception. She had pulled every trick in the book, but nothing had worked.

She just couldn't get a lock on who- or whatever had destroyed Crystal Tokyo, and worst of all, she had absolutely no idea how she could have overlooked a threat of that magnitude, a threat that had eradicated Crystal Tokyo from every timeline in the blink of an eye. Yet another very worrying development was that the Timegates had been rendered practically useless by the same self force that had destroyed their utopia. Looking into the Gates now was akin to looking into a fractured mirror: the possible futures had multiplied by several magnitudes, each radically different from the last.

That brought her to the question why her future self hadn't warned her about the developments, and that was a question that worried her verily. Had her future self been killed, or was the reason something else entirely? She just couldn't wrap her mind around it. Setsuna was sure that her future self would have fought tooth and nail to give her a warning, especially if so much was at stake. So why hadn't she? To top it off, she couldn't travel to the future due to the fact that the timestream was in utter upheaval.

Setsuna breahted a sigh when she arrived at the conclusion that she had to face the facts. Crystal Tokyo, her utopia she had strived to bring about for so long had ended up in smoke, and she had been given no warning at all. Something was going on here, something that escaped her notice. But what? And how could she overcome it?

She had just begun to mentally browse through all possible avenues of bringing the Timegates back online - including the gruelling option of a manual re-fire - when her communicator went off. "Pluto here," she grumbled, and not really in the mood to be disturbed she didn't even make the effort to keep her voice neutral.

The voice on the other end didn't care in the slightest. "Setsuna! You… Y-You have to f-find her!" someone, most probably the Princess, sobbed. "S-She's goooone! Help me!"

Setsuna massaged her temples and barely resisted the urge to scream in face of this new catastrophe. "Calm down, Princess. Who's gone? Usa?" she asked, trying to remain calm.

"Y-Yes! Chibi! S-She up and disappeared f-from one moment t-to the n-next!" Moon cried, descending into sobs.

"Shit. It's worse than I thought," Pluto muttered to herself. "I'm coming over, Princess. Try to calm yourself down, help is on its way," she said more confidently than she felt. "Pluto out."

Sailor Pluto hardly noticed that she applied crushing pressure to her communicator and only snapped back to reality when it made protesting noises due to the structural integrity being strained beyond its tolerance lmit. Baring her teeth she let out a frustrated yell that echoed throughout her pocket dimension, but the yell that should have been cathartic didn't serve its purpose at all.

"I always claimed that the hollering therapy was overrated," she scoffed derisively and gnashed her teeth. "Not only have you cost us Crystal Tokyo, something I practically sacrificed my life for, but now you have cost us Small Lady as well. Sorry, Small Lady, I should have seen it, somehow, anyhow, but there just was nothing I could have done differently. It came out of the blue," the Senshi of Time sighed and bowed her head to pay her respects to the departed fellow Soldier of Love and Justice.

A minute later Pluto looked up and gnashed her teeth again, her face scrunched up in determination. "Who- or whatever you are that destroyed our dreams, I'll find you and set things right. That I swear!" she promised solemnly with her right hand grasping her staff tightly, her red eyes flashing.

That vow made Sailor Pluto drew a sign in the air with her staff and a portal appeared which the Senshi of Time immediately entered. She had a Princess to console before she could go on a witch-hunt.

-.-

Pluto appeared in the bedroom of Usagi Tsukino with almost no time delay. One look told her that her Princess was indeed as distressed as the call had suggested, if not even more so; her hair was dishevelled, which was not unsurprising if one considered that it was about 7 a.m. and that Usagi still wore PJs, but the bloodshot eyes and the fact that she was still bawling her eyes out were a dead giveaway.

As soon as she noticed Pluto Usagi flung herself around the taller woman's neck and started crying even harder. "S-She's gone… she's g-gone, my b-baby's gone!" she sobbed, tears flowing down her cheeks freely.

Setsuna dropped her transformation and patted Usagi's back. "I know, Princess. I felt it myself, and that rather hard," she said wryly.

At hearing that Usagi drew back and looked Setsuna in the eyes, her sorrow replaced by anger. "Couldn't you have done anything? You're the Senshi of Time, damn it!" she exclaimed loudly, anger shining in her blue eyes.

"WHAT IN KAMI-SAMAS NAME IS THAT FOR A RACKET?" came her mother's disgruntled and half-awake voice from the master-bedroom.

"Nothing, mom! I just got angry about some stupid scene I read in a manga!" Usagi exclaimed, glaring daggers at Setsuna.

The Senshi of Time sighed and switched into her transformed state, her staff appearing in her hand which she used to draw a sign into the air. A shimmering portal appeared a second later and Pluto gestured at it. "I suggest we relocate to somewhere more… secluded lest you're not disturbed in your shouting. I've heard that some people find hollering an appropriate stress relief…" she said in a dubious tone and stepped through the portal.

The Moon Princess glared at the fellow scouts' back and followed her on the heel. As soon as she had stepped out on the other side Usagi looked around and noticed that they were standing in front of the Gates of Time. But she felt right away that something was wrong with the picture, and that in conjunction with Pluto's depressed state stopped her anger cold.

"Static!" Usagi exclaimed as she realised what she was seeing. "What in the name of the moon happened to the Gates?"

Setsuna, now back to being depressed and moody, glared at her useless tool and gave an indignant snort. "Whatever fragged Crystal Tokyo also fucked up the Gates of Time. I'm practically blind."

"Setsuna!" Usagi exclaimed with wide eyes, "You swore!"

"Your point being?" Pluto asked dryly, arching a delicate brow.

"But you _never_ swear!" the odango-haired teenager exclaimed and flourished her hands.

"If it weren't for the fact that I have to find a way to get them," she pointed at the useless Gates and favoured them with a smouldering glare, "back online I'd also get royally plastered. But that dubious pleasure will have to wait until I have dealt with the new threat," Pluto muttered, glaring at the Gates once more for good measure.

"But what can we do?" Usagi asked after she had overcome her surprise at seeing Setsuna's countenance slip. "You said you're practically blind. What now?"

Setsuna regarded her Princess with a hooded look and sighed. "I'll admit that our choices are limited. The only viable option is to wait until whatever interference blocks the Gates has abated. In the meantime we'll inform the others, regroup and remain alert. This is a setback, a serious one in fact, but those happened before. And we managed to overcome every single one," she said, her determination returning.

"I know, and we have, but… but I miss her," Usagi whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

Pluto laid a hand on her Princess' shoulder. "I know. But we will bring her back. It's just a question of time…" she said, a small smirk playing in the corner of her mouth at her innuendo. "You'll see, Princess, time will straighten it out. It always does."

-.-

Ranma Saotome was seated in her study and carefully sipped the tea she had just helped herself to, blowing a little on the hot liquid. An introspective look was prevalent on the young Saotome's face, and Ranma wondered not for the first time how fast the last months had gone by. The first thing her grandparents had showed her after she had fully recovered from the procedure had been footage and sensor scans of 'Doombringer', how the gigantic asteroid had been named. Their scientists had incidentally found out on the night of conception that no direct collision with 'Doombringer' would occur, but that their assumption, the Asteroid would knock Earth out of orbit was true.

A grim look appeared on Ranma's face as her mind returned to the other half of the facts. Clan Saotome scientists' had massively underestimated the effects of the almost collision, for those would be far more devastating than assumed.

Exactly 94, 7 percent of the human race would die because of the Great Freeze and its effects, earthquakes, tsunamis and any other natural disaster one could name. Xenma, who had kept the journals of his ancestor had not only shown Ranma how Pluto had manipulated the time-stream but that Tenma aka Orion the Hunter had found many proofs for Pluto's doing in his over 188 years he had lived on Earth.

Ranma hadn't been able to deny that the threat was very real, and she had understood why her Clan had done what they had done. She had understood, yes, but she hadn't been able to forgive them. The redhead smiled a bit at the memories, but it was a bittersweet smile. She had remained cross, no, absolutely furious with them with them for a month.

She hadn't spoken to them, hadn't listened to a word they had said except for one instance: she had actually called Nabiki and told her that she would be gone on a year-long training trip the day after the procedure as a cover-story for her prolonged absence from Nerima, something she had been convinced to do after her grandmother had asked how she wanted to explain her pregnancy to the Nerimans.

Other than that she had remained steadfast, and as soon as one of the traitors had come in close vicinity to her she had raised her battle-aura to drive them away. It had driven her mother to tears, but she hadn't cared. What they had done to her was unforgivable, and she would _never_ forgive them. The only thing she had agreed to had been to being trained in the ways of magic that had been handed down in the family ever since Tenma, and while she had learned of all the theoretical magic the Serenity line possessed she had as of yet been unable to unlock her magical potential.

It had seemed like Fate or some other force had once again wanted to kick her in the balls, for, how else could it be explained that it was much easier for females of the Saotome line to learn and practise magic? The practising magic part was out, though, at least for the time being. But it seemed that some force wanted her to remain female, but that would only happen over her dead body.

Being pregnant had convinced her that she might be half-and-half, for what bigger proof of being female could there be than being pregnant? Yet she was also a guy, and she would return to being one, even if only half the time after this pregnancy was over. No one would steal her male half from her, no one!

A mischievous smile replaced her grim expression. Being a pregnant young woman could also be a lot of fun, how she had learned quickly. It meant her being an uber-bitch towards her 'family' was justified, and she had had much fun in either tormenting or ignoring them. After round about a month she had changed tactics though when she had deemed that the time had been right to gain their trust so that she'd have a better chance at escape, and she had slowly begun to interact with them; slowly, so as not to raise their suspicions.

At the end of the second month she had outwardly pretended that she had forgiven them. She could most likely have fled there and then, but she had operated under the assumption that Xenma might have smelled a rat despite the fact that she had invested a lot of effort into fooling them, suspicious as he was. She had also not been very eager to find out which ways of stopping her her dear grandfather had at his disposal.

Aside from being cautious she had another reason for biding her time. Tofu had told her that the first trimester of a pregnancy was the most critical time for the child, and the staff still gave her routine injections to keep the chances of a miscarriage down to a minimum. Her curiosity piqued and not lest to check if Tofu had told the truth Ranma had conducted some research on the net after she had been deemed uncritical, and the sites she had visited had indeed confirmed Tofu's story. A lot of the pregnancies did indeed fail during the first three months.

Thus Ranma put up with the shots and examinations - to her relief those were not nearly as bad as she had imagined, as a simple scan with some technological gadget or the other could do what gynaecologists needed embarrassing examinations on a gynaecological chair for - and waited for the golden opportunity which would surely present itself sooner or later. She had used every opportunity to enhance her ki-reserves in the meantime, and it was paying off.

Her mother and grandparents had made many efforts to repair the relationship, and she let them in the belief that they had eventually succeeded. She had acted like normally, albeit with the difference that she was hormonally charged. Deep inside she had been tempted to forgive them for real many times which was not lest due to her mood swings, but each time she just had to think of the worst side effect of the pregnancy, and she was instantly as furious as ever.

She had found out on her second day at the manor when she'd wanted to enjoy the luxury of a hot bath. She had well expected to change back, and her distressed yell had alerted her family. Once she had explained what had happened or rather not happened her mother had looked at her sadly and had swept her into a hug. "We had half expected that this would happen, dear. Your body is protecting the child, which makes changing back impossible. But don't worry, even if you can't become my son for the next few months, I love you just as much, my daughter," she had said.

Ranma would have thrown a massive fit of rage there and then had it not been for the fact that it might hurt the child. Thus she had just sulked for a week and had been even more of an ass, and now she just had to think of that incident and the (albeit temporary) loss of her male form to feel righteous fury welling up inside of herself.

She had never once blamed the baby that was growing inside of her, regardless of what it had done to her body and still did. Ranma shuddered as her thoughts strayed to the downs she had lived through. Morning sickness, even larger and more sensitive breasts and that damn tiredness, to name just a few of the 'niceties'.

But the baby had had no part in subjecting her to the whole procedure, and she would never blame it or treat it badly. She had sworn to herself that she'd never be like her own mother, she'd never abandon her child in any way or form, no way in hell. And she would never betray it or any other children she'd have in the future, as a father, of course.

But the possibility of being a parent was still something very distant and surreal for her, even if the doctors had used her genetic material to fuse it with the egg of the Queen, something which still made the hairs on her back stand up. The doctors had tried to explain it to her once, claimed that they had just added those genes of her that were favourable. They had apparently isolated a specific egg-cell which fit best, had tweaked it and used their technology to create a fertilised egg that they had then implanted into her. **'Sick bastards have probably gotten their jollies from that,'** Ranma thought with a scoff and took another sip of her tea.

She couldn't deny that she had come a long way in accepting during the last three months that she would eventually be a mother, but even the pregnancy-hormones hadn't been able to silence her male half that constantly ranted and raved against the very idea. And sometimes she felt disgusted with herself that she even considered being a mother, but lately she caught herself thinking more and more often that this was what she would be sooner or later. Worst of all, her body was preparing her for that, the traitor!

Which was the exact reason why she would flee soon. She would be a mother, that was inevitable, but she would never raise her child within the walls of Saotome Manor which was, despite its perks, nothing less than a prison. She knew which vitamins the baby needed, and she was pretty sure that she'd be able to survive on her own.

Pluto couldn't get a lock on her, that much she had learned from her grandparents; that eliminated the danger of detection nicely, and she had also worked hard on a revision of the Umi which couldn't be detected as easily as the normal variant. Sadly, the concept only existed in her mind and was thus untested for obvious reasons, but she had vowed to herself that she would take the risk if an opportunity presented itself. She _had_ to get away, or she would go nuts and start behaving like... like a pregnant woman. A pregnant woman cursed by the fates, to be exact.

This thought guided her deliberations to the curse. The curse... She had hated her female form at first after the procedure, for it had made the betrayal possible in the first place. But over time and mostly due to the lock on her curse which forced her to live as a female she had come to the conclusion that her female body was as much at fault as the baby, namely not at all. She had once more accepted what she had accepted at Jusendo, that her cursed form was her, Ranma Saotome.

These three months, hell that they had been, they had also made her more comfortable with her female body. Not that she'd had much of a choice anyway. But one thing was clear as crystal in her mind: she would escape, and she would raise her daughter on her own. They would do what was needed, do what had become their duty, but no one would use them ever again. No one.

-.-

Ranma's chance came about three and a half months after the procedure. She had been a 'good girl', and her relatives, even her grandfather, trusted her; the chances to pull off a successful escape were good, especially considering that they would dine at the Ritz tonight, to which they were just en route in one of the armoured limos the Clan owned. That they would dine at the Ritz raised her chances by several magnitudes due to a simple fact: it would expose her to the outside world. She'd be alone with Ayame and her family, far away from the fortress-like Saotome Manor, and the redhead grinned inwardly as she imagined the surprised faces once she'd taken off. Now that would really make her day.

Moments later the limo came to a stop, and her mother got out first and held the door open for her. Ranma stepped out graciously, a smile on her face. Then, without missing a beat she initiated her plan. Ranma knew the surrounding area from her first visit, and the rooftops of the adjacent houses were ideal for roofhopping. She pretended to stumble and went to one knee, but as soon as her worried mother made moves to help her she got into a low crouch and used all of her ki for a ki-assisted jump that catapulted her high into the evening sky.

Ranma landed safely on the rooftop of an adjacent building in a low crouch, glad that she had kept up her ki-building exercises. She caught a glimpse upon four surprised faces, glared once and used her revised Umi-sen-ken. To Ranma's joy her new technique - which cloaked both her ki and her body-heat - worked perfectly, making her virtually undetectable, and gauging from four sets of confused and searching looks that seemed to be the case.

With a last invisible glare she left the area, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, finally escaping her treacherous relatives. Now she would act according to the plan she had cooked up during her captivity, and then she would do what was necessary.

-.-

Nodoka stared in disbelief at the spot her daughter had vacated just seconds ago. The look she had shot them had been the worst and had felt like a stab through her heart, and caused her to erupt in tears. Ranma's glare had been filled with so much distaste and rejection, she couldn't bear it. "She hates me... Kami-sama above, she hates me..."

Lara hugged her daughter close, and the older woman barely managed to hide that she was just as shocked as Nodoka. Just her greater life-experience and toughness kept her from crying along with her daughter. "Sssh, No-chan. She doesn't hate you. It's just that she's a lot angrier at us than we thought," she said in a soothing tone, her left hand trailing soothing circles on Nodoka's back.

Xenma nodded grimly. "And she hid it perfectly. She's a warrior through and through," he said, respect and pride obvious in his voice. "I'm sure she has a plan and will be able to survive on her own, but we have to find her nonetheless. She has much to learn and needs our help and protection more than she realises, especially once her daughter begins to manifest her powers. Ayame!" he called.

The dark-clad woman appeared at his side immediately. "Yes, Xenma-sama?"

"See if you can find any traces of her. Use any available method. We _must_ find her! Go!" Xenma commanded.

Ayame nodded and left the three Saotomes behind; the Agent instantly called for backup, and the hunt for Ranma Saotome had begun.

-.-

Ranma was in full run, metaphorically speaking. The redhead was roofhopping towards Nerima, securely cloaked by her revised Umi-sen-ken, the cloudy sky reflecting her mood perfectly. Her new variant of the Umi used up even less ki than she had figured and worked like a charm. She was also sure that the baby was well, she had no idea why she knew, but it was like the little one was somehow protecting itself. She had felt odd flickers off something from it especially during the last half month, and had the feeling that it was getting... stronger, as if it was drawing from a source other than her.

The redhead shrugged to herself. Her daughter... no, the _baby_, was apparently really something special. **'Par for the course for my life,'** the redhead mused with a bemused shake of her head. **'I better get cracking now, the shops will close soon.'**

This part of her plan bugged her the most. She had always strived to uphold the law and had made it a point to fiught wrongdoers and crime in general, and now she was forced to engage in shoplifting. But there was just no other way. She had no supplies, no money and thus no means of making purchases, and, most importantly, she mustn't be seen. Ergo she would have to 'borrow' a pack and some supplies, for herself and her child. Sighing to herself Ranma changed course and hopped straight towards the same-self mall she had once visited during the amnesia-incident.

Ranma arrived at the mall twenty minutes later, completely unnoticed by anyone. She was very careful not to draw any attention through something as stupid as a door opening by itself, and always watched out for good opportunities to slip through when other shoppers opened the doors.

First on her list of required items was she a large and stable backpack, and the actual theft that was greatly aided by the fact that the shop that sold such items was completely empty save for a sales clerk; and this young woman was deeply engrossed in a teeny magazine. Ranma shook her head under her cloak as she extended her Umi-sen-ken to encompass the backpack in her hands; her grandmother had tried to interest her in reading one of those frilly teen magazines but she had refused every time; she had spend her time way better with reading up on the available reports of the Senshi, their tactics, teamwork, abilities and powers.

But for the time being the Senshi were pretty low on her priority list. Right now they honestly didn't matter jack shit to her; she would raise her daughter and fight them if necessary, but until then she would avoid them and her Clan at all costs. As sh had seen the resources her Clan could call upon Ranma had immediately discounted Nerima, and swimming to China was out as well, seeing as she didn't want to endanger the child too much. That left precious few locations where she would be hidden well enough, and she had just remembered one spot that fit the bill: Ryugenzawa, the small rural town Akane and she had been to once. Nobody would search for her in this godforsaken place, and the magical nature of the water of life might even help mask her presence, or so she hoped.

Satisfied that she had pulled off her act of theft but filled with a bad conscience at the same time she stealthily left the shop and made her way to the local supermarket. Moving about as carefully as possible she slipped into the store and collected the supplies she would need. Here she didn't care if the surveillance cameras caught a ghost stealing their wares, but she remained cautious nevertheless. Moving about like the wind her pack was soon filled with the necessary items (among them hair tinting lotion to dye her hair black), water and some food and her theft completed Ranma moved on.

The redhead also shook down a clothes store for a pair of long, black jeans, a black hoodie sweater, a black jacket as well as several sets of female underwear, and a shoe store of a pair of hiking boots. The shoes that went with her evening gown were useless in the kind of environment she would travel in, and she used the public bathroom she already knew to redress and stored her evening attire in her backpack. Then she blocked the door and quickly dyed her hair black, and once done she continued on her way.

Ranma's last side trip led her to the apothecary. She had come to know exactly what the baby needed, and used the fact that the staff of the apothecary was apparently busy in the back-rooms to her advantage. Ranma quickly and quietly snatched the needed items without a second thought and made sure that the vitamin-preparation would last for a minimum of six months, grabbed several female products, and then she was gone.

-.-

**Elsewhere**

Nodoka and her parents were seated on the simplicistic wooden chairs around the circular table the war-room provided, each Saotome hanging to their own thoughts. The youngest among them shook her head. "How could I have been so blind? My child hates me, and I didn't even notice. Was I once more too far gone in my dreams?" she asked herself, and her face scrunched up. "I should have been more forceful in my objections. We should have told Ranma what we were planning right from the start."

"That would have done no good, No-chan. She would never have agreed, and the plan, this worlds' only chance, would have failed," Xenma replied in an even tone.

"Oh, and the plan isn't about to fail now, father? Your _plan_," she snarled these words, "has failed. My baby is somewhere out there, and Kami knows what can happen to her!" Nodoka exclaimed hotly, holding back her tears with extreme difficulty.

When her father didn't reply immediately Lara spoke up in her husband's stead. "Ranma is strong, No-chan. She has proven it time and again. There's no use in crying over like Soun Tendo at his worst, it's water under the bridge anyway," she commented in a soothing tone, squeezing her daughter's hand.

"We _will_ find her, No-chan," Xenma assured, keeping his tone moderate. "Ayame has never failed, it's only a question of time until she finds her."

"But why did it have to be this way? I had thought I had finally built a real relationship with her, one that was not based on respect and fear, but she only pretended so that... that she could flee from us easier. And I didn't even sense it! What kind of mother am I?" Nodoka cried out in anguish.

Lara sighed, her head drooping a little. "We all judged the situation wrongly. Even _I_ thought she had come to terms with the situation and what is asked of her, and I pride myself in being a good judge of character."

Xenma nodded his assent. "I fear there's a high probability that she might sever her ties to the Clan. She might not come back on her own."

"Xen," Lara grumbled in a chiding voice as Nodoka sobbed, "have you done something stupid?"

"Well then," he muttered clearing his throat, "if you call the order to bring Ranma back even against her will stupid, then yes."

His wife groaned. "Sometimes I fear there's more similarity between your son-in-law and you than just the names. Xen, God knows it's important to bring her back to safety, but maybe, just maybe it would be better to let her cool off. It's now crystal clear that she still feels betrayed, and she'll resent us even more if we force her to return."

"Hey, I even refrained from having a subcutaneous chip implanted in her hip, which would have have been easy during the procedure. You know as well as I do how effective those are…"

Xenma was interrupted at this point. "_You_ know as well as _I_ do that you didn't have the implant made for one reason: for fear of others tracking her. That's also why other methods of tracking or bugging her were out," Lara corrected annoyedly, crossing her arms across her chest.

Xenma resisted the urge to sigh. "I concede the point. Another reason for not choosing the implant was Ranma herself; considering her abilities she might have noticed the chip, and that would have utterly destroyed any basis for cooperation right from the start. So I _have_ now ordered to retrieve her, something that will most likely make her resent us even more for sure."

He held up a hand, forestalling any comments. "But consider this: she will resent us in any case, regardless if we actively search for her or not. Ranma is convinced that we _will_ search for her. Do you honestly think she would believe us if we told her 'look, we haven't searched for you, we were goody goody,'?" Xenma asked, his right brow cocked.

Lara sheepishly scratched the back of her head. "If you put it like that, no. But what _can_ we do?" she asked.

"Not much. We can check the spots she might use as a hideout, but considering her intelligence we are bound to draw blanks. In the meantime we can only pray that the chaos around Ranma will mask the outbursts of magic that'll most likely ensue from the baby soon," Xenma said a tad too evenly.

"Outbursts of magic?" Nodoka asked, drying her eyes with her sleeve. "What haven't you told me, father? Is my Ranma in any danger?"

When Xenma didn't answer immediately Lara fixed him with her sternest glare. "Xenma Saotome, spill the beans this instant! _Is_ Ranma in danger?"

The Saotome patriarch sighed. "Not from the baby, but from herself. Look, I had hoped that we could keep her within these walls for the whole 9 1/2 months, and that for a simple reason. The baby will begin to manifest her magical powers soon, and that can be sensed and noticed in other ways. Especially if something should happen that our magical experts theorised."

"Why am hearing this for the first time, Xen?" Lara asked in barely controlled anger. "The whole story, now."

Xenma sighed deeply and leant back in his chair. The big man closed his eyes and massaged his temples. "Because it was something that _might_ happen. It's a theory, nothing more."

Nodoka chuckled humourlessly. "With the way how Ranma's life works it's practically a given, father. So, what does this theory say?"

Xenma opened his eyes and looked at his daughter. "That the baby might begin to draw upon the Silver Crystal. She _is_ the new Queen after all, and her sync-rate with the crystal is bound to be higher than Sailor Moons'. We are closer to the Serenity line, most probably. Even if this Sailor Moon is the reincarnated daughter of Queen Serenity VI., the fact that we are genetically closer to the Serenity line as good as ensures that she'll be able to tap the ginzuisho."

"And why didn't you tell us, Xen?" Lara asked in a disappointed tone.

"I must agree with mother, father. This I'd have liked to know, maybe I could have convinced Ranma better if she had known the dangers to her."

"I was certain I had everything taken care of, considering the lengths I went to to ensure Ranma's safety, and ours as well, by proxy," Xenma replied, his jaw thrust out almost stubbornly.

"What have you done, Xen?" Lara sighed, and fixed her husband with a dangerous look. "If it endangers Ranma…"

"Endanger her? Hardly. Look, we managed to subtly tap the Timegates-"

"You. Did. What!" Lara almost shouted, her face as white as the wall.

"It worked, Lara, of that we are certain, and Pluto is none the wiser," Xenma assured in the chestnote of confidence, "Should she ever learn of Ranma's existence, and she will once the effects of our doing manifest themselves, all Pluto will see are select images of female Ranma. No evidence of her changing genders, no reference to her true name, nothing. Everything has been carefully prepared.

"I even… furthered the activities of one Nabiki Tendo who had the identity of one Ranko Tendo established for Ranma's female form a few months back. It will stand up to any governmental check, and to Pluto's as well."

Lara's gaze clearly communicated that Xenma was far from off the hook. "We will discuss this later, Xen. For now let us hope that you were indeed as successful as you believe."

"But what if Sailor Pluto were to check on site? She would surely find out that my Ranma and Ranko Tendo are one and the same!" Nodoka spoke up, her face scrunching up in worry.

"She won't, No-chan. She has become too complacent, too certain of her infallibility. It is her standard modus operandi to tap the resources at her beck and call, be it governmental or otherwise. She simply doesn't need to check on site, or so she thinks," Xenma explained, his tone calm and collected.

"Be that as it is, and it is true, No-chan," Lara assured with an reassuring nod at her daughter, "That doesn't explain why you kept secrets from me."

"Look, there's no use crying over spilt milk, Lara-chan. We have to find Ranma, and we have to find her fast before Pluto does! The magical maturing of the baby could very well give her the opportunity to get a lock on Ranma."

"Xen," Lara warned, anger sharpening her voice, "don't you Lara-chan me, and don't try to distract us. The full story. Now."

"There's nothing more to tell. Only here complete safety is assured, only here do we have magical dampening fields that would hide those magical outbursts. It's just too bad that our scientists haven't ever managed to create a portable magical dampening field; that would save us many headaches," the Saotome patriarch groused.

Nodoka nodded, now understanding a bit better how urgent it was to get Ranma back. And she was curious. "Father, not that I doubt your wisdom, but I have asked myself this question many times. Why don't we just assassinate Pluto?"

Xenma sighed and shook his head, smiling sadly. "If only it were so simple, No-chan, I'd have done it myself long ago," he said, massaging his temples. "We assume that Pluto _can_ be killed, seeing as we have accounts that report that she has been wounded many times in the past. We deduced from that that her immortality extends to time, but not physical wounds, which would make snipering her possible."

Lara held up a hand. "Let your father finish, No-chan. There are good reasons why we haven't killed Pluto."

"Which would that be, mother? With what I have seen of our possibilities it should be easy to accomplish. One could find out Sailor Pluto's civilian identity and assassinate her," Nodoka stated, and the auburn-haired woman was almost as surprised as her parents at hearing herself suggesting cold-blooded murder.

"Good thinking, daughter," Xenma said approvingly. "For you to even suggest such drastic measures you must have realised just how dangerous Pluto is to Ranma. There's just a slight problem... in all the years that we have known of Pluto's existence we have never been able to uncover her identity; she's just too experienced and careful, and her magic aids her greatly. Tenma had some theories on that, and he postulated that some kind of advanced disguise field masks her features; the same goes for the other Senshi as well. We have tried everything to counter it, but to no avail."

Lara exhaled slowly and nodded. "Then there's also the fact to consider that the Senshi mustn't find us, mustn't know that we even exist. To the public we're just eccentric billionaires, and we'd like to keep it that way. Besides, our equipment and our defences are good, but I doubt that we could resist the combined might of all nine Sailor Senshi. Especially considering that Saturn's attacks can level whole city-blocks. No, stealth has always been key, and will be until the Queen has been reborn."

"I see. But haven't you ever tried to follow one of them, to catch them in their untransformed state?" Nodoka asked, frowning softly.

"We have," Xenma replied, his facial expression conveying just how much success they'd had, "But even considering our Clans' aptitude in all things regarding stealth we were not able to accomplish anything. The Senshi have gotten increasingly more careful over the years. In the early years of their careers we might have had a chance to accomplish the mission objective, but we decided to remain hidden at that time, tried to further our research to bring the Queen back and to build up our defences. In hindsight that may have been a mistake, but as the saying goes, there's no use crying over spilt milk."

"Indeed, Xen. We may not know who the Senshi really are, but our efforts ensured that we're now able to bring the Queen back. And it ensured that Pluto can't screen us. Hadn't we set our priority to develop a magical stealth shielding that makes our doing seem like normal background emissions everything might already be lost. We don't have to know their identities to destroy their plans," Lara said, her lips quirked into a wry smile.

"True," Xenma agreed, "And there're also other good reasons why killing Pluto would achieve nothing. Her manipulations are already complete, the Asteroid _will_ reach Earth in three years time. Killing her just for what she has done would achieve nothing, No-chan, as much as we may want it," he said, as he sunk back in the chair.

"Why, father? I admit that I'm not fond of killing anyone, but why would this course of action be useless? Considering everything goes according to plan and the Queen manages to destroy the Asteroid, who is to stop Pluto from orchestrating a new Great Freeze?"

Xenma sighed deeply and rubbed his temples. "It's true, No-chan. Killing her would seem like the only way to ensure that no repeat will occur. But there's something you don't know, something that shook our Clan to its foundations. One of our agents had the dubious luck to be on site when one of the Senshi was killed. Yes, she was dead, dead as a doornail. Then something utterly strange happened. Their leader, Sailor Moon, used her crystal on the body, and the dead Senshi returned to life!"

"What!" Nodoka exclaimed, her expression showing stark disbelief. "That can't be true! You can't bring the dead back!

"It _is_ true?" she then asked, looking at her parents who gazed back with serious and somewhat defeated expressions.

"Yes, No-chan. That was not the only occasion where such a 'miracle' was witnessed. Dead Senshi can be brought back to life, apparently, and seeing that we don't know if just Sailor Moon can do this feat it doesn't make any sense to risk killing her. We'd have to kill all Senshi to be on the safe side, and that's something I can't agree to," Lara said and closed her arms so they were crossed across her chest, and slowly sunk back down into her chair.

"I understand, mother. So all we can do is hope and pray that we'll be able to find Ranma before something... chaotic happens to her," Nodoka mused with an unhappy sigh.

"Ayame has never failed, No-chan. If anyone can find Ranma it's her," Xenma assured.

"I just hope we find her soon, father. I have a very bad feeling..."

**to be continued**…


	6. Chapter 6

**Title**: Chaotic Rebirth

**Author name**: Trugeta

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ as well as Naoko Takeuchi and many others. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Note further that I don't own any of the trademarks mentioned in this story.

This story takes place after the failed wedding in the Ranma series and the defeat of Galaxia in the Sailor Moon Series. It's an AU, and reviews are welcome and appreciated.

**  
Chapter 6**

Ranma was well on her way to Ryugenzawa, her new variant of the Umi-sen-ken aiding her greatly. Invisible as she was, the raven-haired girl had boarded a bullet train. Through wandering between the train cars she had no trouble finding a place, seeing that more than one compartment was empty due to the fact that the rush hour was over. All in all a very comfortable and, most of all, cheap way of travel, even though Ranma would never resort to it outside of an emergency. Her conscience simply forbade it.

The train finally reached the next big city before Ryugenzawa, seeing as the small rural town didn't have its own train station; that meant travelling via foot, but Ranma didn't mind. The baby didn't hamper her in the slightest any more; the phase during which she'd tired out very quickly was luckily over.

Ranma waited until the last passenger had exited and just slipped through the doors before they closed. Grinning to herself that her plan had worked the raven-haired neo-girl gathered her bearings. Shrugging to herself she immediately left for Ryugenzawa, following the signs. Ranma began her trek, and the path she walked on led her through forested area, much to her satisfaction. After the Saotome girl had walked for an hour—she walked at a normal pace so as not to wear herself out too quickly—she stopped to take a pit-stop.

Sitting down on the tree-trunk of a felled tree, she used the food she had stolen from the supermarket to replenish her energy; the raven-haired girl was very glad that she had stolen appropriate clothing and shoes, for hiking in her evening gown and heels would have been hell. Eternally thankful that she'd had the presence of mind to steal a Maglite, Ranma continued on her path after she had eaten; the raven-haired girl suspected that she'd need the Maglite later, seeing that October evenings didn't provide that much light, but she'd march on invisible and without light as long as she could.

Ranma made good way seeing that she was used to travelling in the wilderness, as which this path surely didn't classify; finger posts were very common, and only the most stupid of people or those with no sense of direction—Ranma briefly smiled as she thought of a certain lost boy—would get lost. She reached the small rural town of Ryugenzawa half an hour before dark, and was able to orient herself.

It had nearly been a year since her adventure in the forest surrounding the other side of Ryugenzawa, and she hoped that Shinnosuke's grandfather would remember her—Shinnosuke surely would not. Thankfully the grandfather had seen her female form before, so the chance was there that he would indeed remember her. Even if he didn't—regardless how unlikely that was—they'd hardly turn down a pregnant girl. And if they should try to hand her over to the local authorities—which was even more unlikely—she'd give them a little martial arts demonstration to show that would not be appreciated.

The raven-haired girl had to use a public restroom to relieve herself—again—and freshen up; she then made a short break in a public park for a quick meal. Once done, she started her march towards the region of the forest where Shinnosuke and his grandfather lived. She wasn't very worried that the men had moved; she had come to know them, however briefly, and knew them to be men who took their duties seriously. Besides, Shinnosuke couldn't survive without the water of life for too long anyway, and she doubted that his condition had changed.

Ranma marched on determinedly, and grumbled to herself when she finally had to resort to using the Maglite. Said usage turned out to be very much needed as the light fell upon a giant trap. "Crap," the raven-haired girl muttered, her eyes wide. "They must have moved the traps even nearer to town, which probably means they got greater trouble to contain the beasts. Hmm, maybe I can offer my help."

That said, Ranma carefully navigated her way through the trap-ridden forest, wary of both traps and giant animals. Chance was with her for a change, something that surprised the raven-haired girl to no end and put her on edge like nothing else, but she had long since learned to accept gift horses without looking them in the mouth.

Ranma finally reached the hut, and everything was as she remembered. Gathering her courage, the pregnant girl knocked on the door forcefully. For long seconds, nothing could be heard, and the raven-haired girl already suspected that the men had set out to prepare new traps. Then, finally, footsteps could be heard and the door was opened. It was Shinnosuke's grandfather.

"What can I do for… you?" the old man asked, scrutinising her closer.

Ranma smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, it's me: Ranma. I just dyed my hair. Can I come in? It's damn cold outside."

The old man nodded and waved his hand to indicate that she could enter. "Come right in. Some hot water for changing back?" he offered as he led Ranma inside.

"I see you remember, sir. That's a kind offer, but it ain't necessary. And that's one of the reasons why I'm here," Ranma said with a deep sigh.

The bearded man looked intrigued. "Sit down, sit down. I'll get us some tea, I have some ready. Wait here, I'll be right back. And don't call me sir, just Gramps," he said with a smile.

The raven-haired girl nodded with a smile of her own and relaxed into the couch, but she didn't have to wait long before Gramps returned with two cups of steaming hot tea. Ranma accepted her cup gladly and used it to warm her stiff fingers as she took small sips.

Looking at Gramps she saw that he was waiting for her to begin her tale, and the raven-haired girl, never one to dissatisfy an audience, took a deep breath. "First, before I begin, where's Shinnosuke? I don't wanna tell everythin' twice."

Gramps nodded in understanding. "Well, Shinnosuke is out, setting new traps. The beasts have gotten bold lately, and we, as the last bastion, have to ensure that they pose no overt threat. But don't worry, I'll tell him everything you tell me."

The Saotome girl nodded. "Well, everythin' began three-and-a-half months ago…"

-.-

**Two weeks later**

Ranma had settled in with Shinnosuke and his grandfather, and the young redhead had found it surprisingly easy to get used to living with the men. They hadn't even thought about handing her over to the local authorities and had been very sympathetic. Easy going and likeable as they were Ranma found living with the two monster guards a refreshing change.

Life with them was funny as well, and Ranma, now in her fourth month, often helped Shinnosuke set new traps for the gigantic former zoo-animals. If only he wasn't so forgetful. The young woman grinned to herself as she went through a kata in front of the hut she now lived in with Shinnosuke and Gramps.

Shinnosuke almost forgot everything, and in the beginning she'd had to retell everything at least thrice a day; that had been until she had grown tired of it, had made good use of a mood-swing and had given him a tongue-lashing that convinced him to keep a journal. Ever since then things had been steadily improving.

Ranma had theorised that his forgetfulness might be related to the water of life he depended on, but it would have been far too dangerous to test this theory, which was why she kept her suspicions to herself. Better forgetful, otherwise healthy and alive, than dead.

Life with the monster guards was different indeed, and when she had told them in the initial greeting that she was pregnant and needed to get to terms with it, the two men had behaved even more like true gentlemen. She had absolutely hated it.

Ranma sighed to herself. In the time she had lived here she had come to experience what living with almost normal people in a semi-normal environment under almost normal circumstances was like. Well, as normal as living in close proximity to giant animals could be, at least.

Then there was the fact that Shinnosuke and his grandfather didn't get on her nerves like several people she could name. It did a world of good not to be yelled at and blamed for everything that went wrong, or to be constantly pressured into something or the other, or groped, fondled, insulted, and so on as she had experienced in Nerima, or to be constantly watched, controlled, and subjected to some strange test or the other as it had been at Saotome Manor.

In a nutshell, life in general had treated her pretty badly, and what her grandmother had said to her once—that Fate had destined her for great things—was a cruel joke to her. In her mind she had been screwed over by life since birth, and it never seemed to stop. Here in Ryugenzawa, life seemed to give her an improbable seeming break, and she had vowed to savour every minute—no, every second of it.

Gramps had even tried to offer her advice, and without wanting something in return! That concept had been just about alien to her, that someone did something for her because he thought he could help and not because he hoped to further himself. Nobody in Nerima, outside of Kasumi and—occasionally—Akane, had ever done so!

It had restored her faith in the human race a bit, albeit just a tiny bit. It didn't matter that Gramps' suggestion wasn't that helpful, it was the motivation behind it that counted. The old man had no knowledge of the Sailor Scouts but had gathered that they were usually fighters for the forces of good, thus he had suggested that Ranma try to talk to their leader, whom Ranma knew to be Sailor Moon.

The Saotome girl had known that Gramps had meant well, which was why she hadn't berated him for suggesting such crap. She had then explained that her word would stand against Pluto's, and she had reasoned that the Scouts would likely believe the Senshi of Time due to the fact that she was a trusted sister-in-arms, had awakened them, and had most likely been to hell and back with the other Scouts.

Besides, a millennia old Mistress of Time was simply more believable than a seemingly hysterical pregnant teenager spouting a story about a reborn Queen Serenity and how she'd stop the asteroid that would cause the Great Freeze.

Then there was the fact that she didn't trust them, and she'd be damned before she'd ever return to being her foolish, naïve, and trusting self again. Gramps had conceded the point, but they had spent many an evening discussing and planning.

Meanwhile, Ranma's pregnancy was developing nicely, but luckily it wasn't showing. Much. Her curves had rounded even more and her bust-line had grown, but her belly gave nothing away yet. Not overly much anyway. There was, however, no way that the raven-haired girl would forget about the baby that was growing in her. Especially not considering what was to happen the following night…

-.-

Ranma remembered clearly that she had gone to sleep. It had taken some time to find a comfortable position—as usual—and she had tossed and turned for a long time, but she had definitely joined the land of Nod at some point.

Yet she found herself in a strange and unfamiliar place that was nothing like the places she normally visited in her dreams. This place seemed to be a palace of some sort. Everything was held in silver and white and the palace was, in one word, breathtaking. Whistling lowly, the raven-haired girl began to explore.

Ranma was very impressed by the palace's interior. Light textures dominated the place, giving it the illusion of glowing from within. As if led by an inner voice, Ranma continued to explore and only stopped from time to time to take a look at the many photos that were hanging in different spots scattered across the various rooms. They were pictures of the various Senshi, and, remarkably, they resembled their current incarnations very much.

Her inner voice (or was it really hers?) finally led her to what seemed to be the throne room, and the young girl immediately took notice of the presence of another person. Switching into a defensive stance came as a reflex, and the red-haired girl assessed the person she had sensed.

Said person turned out to be a woman, and a remarkably beautiful one at that. She had long, silver hair that flowed down her back freely and was dressed in an exquisite silvery dress that hugged her curvy body like a second skin. Her appearance would have ensured her the envy of many.

"Hello, my descendant," she said with a smile that could outdo even Kasumi.

"Err, hello," replied Ranma uncertainly.

"I'm saddened that I can not interact with you, but I am nothing more than a pre-recorded message that has been activated due to the fulfilment of certain preset parameters."

"Err, what? Parawhatzit?" Ranma asked intelligently.

Instead of answering Ranma's questions, the recording continued. "You, my descendant, have chosen to give birth to my new incarnation. For that I am eternally grateful. I am well aware that you had to sacrifice a potential child of your own when you decided to carry my new incarnation, and I can not thank you enough for this, as well as for the other sacrifices you have probably made. The Serenity line is forever in your debt," she said with a genuine and warm smile.

"Look, lady, you dunno nuthin' 'bout my sacrifices—"

"My descendant, one of the prerequisites for my activation is that my new incarnation has begun to manifest her magical powers. Being the new Queen and my successor means that she'll have a vast magical reservoir and this, in conjunction with your own magical capacity, will allow for one very important thing: communication with your child. The development of my new incarnation has been altered and her magic has been changed so that she will be able meet you in a dreamscape of sorts."

"Meh, looks like she can't hear me," Ranma muttered. "Can't even tell her off then. But listenin' ain't gonna hurt."

"— magical connection between you and your child also allows for emergency meetings that will look like a trance to others. Cases of danger to you or the baby will be detected and be dealt with by her magic, and that is but only one example. In short, her magic has been set to detect any such dangers, so do not worry, my descendant," the recording smiled reassuringly at this point.

"Hey, I ain't afraid of nuthin'!"

"My activation means that your daughter will be able to communicate with you soon, so do not be surprised to find yourself in a dreamscape similar to this. Your daughter's appearance in the dreamscape will be determined by the genes that have been added to my own."

"Red hair for sure," Ranma muttered with a bemused shake of her head.

"Her magic will also allow her to choose her age freely within the dreamscape. Her magic ensures that she's not limited to the intellect of an infant, therefore communication will be possible."

"Neat. Betcha she'll choose an age older than mine," grumbled Ranma with a pout.

"The maturing of her magic will take place in several intervals, and it would be best if you had type nine shielding available so as not to alert hostile parties to the fact that a new queen is about to be born. Tread carefully, my descendant; the Silver Millennium has powerful enemies.

"In case you have no such shielding available, or in case something unforeseen and dangerous happens, my new incarnation knows of several safe spots within the Silver Millennium. I am truly sorry that you have been saddled with the responsibility to help rebuild our beautiful kingdom. I shall be forever in your debt for your efforts," she said with a bow.

"She's just a little bit outta date."

"I shall end this recording with the wish for you and my new incarnation to have good luck. Queen Serenity, out."

"Whoa, whoa, one sec here! I gotta lot of questions! Wait!"

However, the Queen had not waited and, as sudden as before, Ranma found herself in her bed, now wide awake. She laid awake for a long time after that, asking herself if that 'dream' had been real or not. Unbeknownst to Ranma, another party had taken notice of the manifestation of magical powers in the neo-queen…

-.-

A dimension away, a tall, green-haired woman wearing a white and black fuku nodded with satisfaction as she looked into the Gates of Time in front of her. She had been patient, and her patience was now being rewarded. The interference had sufficiently weakened, and she could at least scan the present again. Which was better than nothing and could make all the difference in this case.

"Have I finally got you… It has taken long enough," the Senshi of Time muttered after a long while of scrying.

Setsuna Meiou had managed to trace the origin of the magical outburst back to a human being this time, and the outburst had had the same magical signature as the causality wave she had detected about four months ago: the one that had thrown her onto her butt, literally.

This time around, the chaos surrounding the originator seemed less intense for some reason. It was as if the magical outburst had ripped the shrouds of chaos away, and she used the good opportunity to get a firm lock on her target.

The Gates of Time provided an image, and the fact that it was in black-and-white made her pause. Squinting her eyes so as not to miss a single detail, she stared into the Gates of Time, and got a look upon her enemy for the first time.

Not a pin sharp image as per usual, one that even discerned the person's location, no, it was an image that looked like a bad photograph. Something was blocking her here, and it was powerful enough to render the Gates of Time almost useless.

To her utter surprise it turned out to be a young woman, a quite beautiful one at that. This was her enemy, the destroyer of Crystal Tokyo and all her dreams? She could scarcely believe it, and yet it had to be true. The Time Gates had never been wrong before.

Acting quickly, she commanded the Gates of Time to show and record the life of this individual as well as the possible futures she might cause before the chaos became too strong once more. The download was completed just in time, to her immense relief. A few seconds later and all she would have gotten was static.

But the data she _had_ gotten was far from satisfying as it didn't show more than the last two years of her target's life, and even that didn't cover more than snapshots. Nothing on her life-story, background or even parents, which was suspicious and unusual, to put it mildly.

It seemed that somehow her screening had been redirected, probably due to the culprit being a veritable chaos generator, and the only things she had been able to glean were the name of the young woman, Ranko Tendo, that she was cousin to Kasumi, Nabiki and Akane Tendo and that she was an incredible threat to Crystal Tokyo.

Add to that she couldn't lock in on her target and tell where she was currently residing, which had, to her knowledge, never happened before. Why she didn't know, but it seemed as if some kind of magical shielding redirected her screening attempts, but she hoped that a thorough analysis of the recordings would reveal more. Further screening was pointless anyway, and oddly enough, it had landed her in the bathrooms of an odd young man who sprouted the worst poetry she had ever heard.

Sitting down in front of the Gates in a cross-legged position, Setsuna began her analysis of the recordings. What she learned confirmed her worst fears. The young woman had a slightly pregnant look about her, gauging from the images, and Setsuna herself had seen more than enough pregnancies to recognise the hints.

She would have to conduct some more examinations that would hopefully shed more light, but it seemed that her enemy, which she now knew to be one Ranko Tendo, was indeed carrying a new life that could somehow endanger their carefully guarded future. Add to that, and that she had already suspected from the start, the teen was indeed the living embodiment of chaos, one that could rival the Chaos God of legend.

Killing Ranko Tendo could prove disastrous, and she didn't dare travel back in time and kill her at birth for the same self reason, provided she even could. Killing a nexus of chaos was always a tricky thing, and why should she go through that much trouble if other actions could be taken, actions that promised a far better success-rate?

She now knew about a quarter of Ranko Tendos' life, which should be more than enough to work with. But, and that was very odd, she hadn't gotten any info on her family other than on her cousins and her uncle, one Soun Tendo. This knowledge in conjunction with the conviction to know how Soun Tendo and his best friend, one Genma Saotome, would react gave her all the weak points she needed, though.

It seemed as if now was the time to reactivate one of her many identities. She would remove this nuisance from the picture before it could destroy her utopia, and she would use every method available aside from outright killing Ranko Tendo to achieve her ends.

The anomaly originating from the young woman the Gates had picked up on and which she suspected to be a baby had to be eliminated, and she would ensure that. But first off more thorough examinations were in order.

-.-

**One month later**

Genma Saotome and Soun Tendo were immersed in their favourite pastime (aside from playing shogi and go), namely conducting a lengthy pub crawl and amassing a tab longer than their arms. Ever since Ranma—the ungrateful boy—had gone on a training trip with Nodoka and her parents—instead of marrying Akane like he should—these pub crawls had been getting more and more frequent. Which was also not least due to the fact that Nodoka wasn't there to remind her wayward husband that amassing even more debts made Mr. Katana very unhappy and vengeful.

Luckily for the ageing martial arts masters, there were more than enough pubs in and around Tokyo so that the ones where they couldn't show their faces any longer were simply avoided. For the moment they were enjoying beer and sake in the 'Red Dragon', an old and traditional pub in the outskirts of Juuban.

The drinks were good enough but cheap, which was probably not least due to the fact that Youma attacks had been very frequent around there and still occurred from time to time. Genma and Soun were not the least bit put off by the chance that an ugly demon might pop up; they were martial artists, they didn't fear anything.

Said fearless, ageing martial artists were just about to order the next round when a strict looking woman in a dark business suit approached their table. She was clothed completely in black from head to toe, dark sunglasses included. An aura of authority surrounded the tall woman, and Genma began to sweat.

Was one of his many deals coming back to haunt him? Shit, and he had no idea where the ungrateful boy had disappeared to so that he could shift the blame on him!

"Good evening, gentlemen. My name is Agent Meiou, and I'm here on official business," the raven-haired woman said and flashed her authentic badge, which impressed Soun and Genma as much as it put fear in their hearts.

"H-How can we help you, A-Agent Meiou?" Soun asked nervously.

'Agent' Meiou kept her face impassive. "Mr. Saotome, Mr. Tendo, all that I can tell you that I'm here on very serious business and that it pertains to Mr. Tendos' niece, one Ranko Tendo."

Soun and Genma shared an incredulous look, both men thinking at the same time that Nabiki had obviously told the truth when she had said that she had had an identity for Ranma's female form created. That it could even stand up to governmental investigation was nothing short of incredibly impressive.

The men communicated silently that they wouldn't utter a squeak that could implicate Nabiki, as it just as easily could backfire on them in more than one way. If the government believed that Ranma's female form was indeed one Ranko Tendo it was better to let sleeping dogs lie, regardless of what they would learn from the Agent.

"I see," Soun said gravely, mentally reminding himself to consequently refer to Ranma as Ranko, "Ranko up and disappeared several months ago, on a training trip as she said. Has something happened?" he asked, genuine worry tingeing his voice.

Setsuna Meiou's face was an expressionless mask. "Before I tell you anything, would you mind relocating to a table that is less open to prying ears?" she asked, nodding her head towards the other patrons. "Maybe to the back-rooms this… place offers?"

"Not at all, Miss Meiou. We are happy to cooperate with the Emperor in any way we can. Right, Saotome?"

"Right, Tendo. Lead the way, Miss Meiou," he gruffed in an effort to hide his uneasiness.

Setsuna Meiou was hard-pressed not to smirk. **'This is as easy as my scrying of the Gates suggested. Those two are fools, and it will be oh so easy to manipulate them, especially the uncle of Ranko Tendo. Dyeing my hair was probably an unnecessary precaution.'**

The disguised Senshi of Time led them to the back rooms of the pub, and the three sat down at a table that would make eavesdropping in on them very hard. "Okay, gentlemen, let's get down to business. I'm with the Bureau dealing with paranormal activity, and we have stumbled across something very worrying.

"We know of your history with paranormal happenings, and your file is one of the thickest and most interesting in the department. Chinese magic, oni possession, curses, to name a few. Very interesting, but it can't hold a candle to what we have come to learn lately."

Genma and Soun exchanged wary glances. She really seemed to know everything except Ranma's true gender, so playing it carefully was the chosen course of action. "And what is this worrying discovery you've made?" asked Soun.

"Mr. Tendo," Setsuna said as she focussed on Soun, her face serious, "I'm sad to be the bearer of bad news, but your niece, Ranko Tendo, has been kidnapped and impregnated by a demon," she said in an empathetic tone.

"And yes," she said at seeing their shocked faces, "we _are_ certain. The unnatural energy the baby emits could be traced from time to time, and our department has no doubt that it is demonic in nature. We have a lot of experience in this field, trust me."

"WHAT! Ran… ko is _pregnant_? Never! This is an outrage!" Genma roared, spit flying from his mouth.

"That can't be!" Soun had exclaimed at the same time, complete and utter disbelief edged on his face, "That just can't be!"

Setsuna sighed deeply. "But it is. And it is a direct violation of existing treaties and—"

"It must be exorcised!" Genma and Soun roared in unison. "And we'll be happy to help, right Saotome?"

Genma bared his teeth. "You said it, Tendo! We _will_ help! Any way we can!"

The Senshi of Pluto was hard pressed not to erupt in full-blown laughter. Those two were making it so easy for her. "Right, gentlemen. The government is unsurprisingly very interested that this unfortunate situation is rectified to our mutual satisfaction."

"What can we do to free my… niece from this devil spawn, Miss Meiou?" asked Soun Tendo eagerly.

Said 'Agent Meiou' used all her acting skills to look grave. "You might not like it, Mr. Tendo," she cautioned.

"Nonsense. This is Ran… ko we're talking about. We won't allow that she's forced to give birth to some vile devil spawn! I suspect the clan of my wife is somehow involved…" Genma growled angrily, his beady eyes narrowed.

Setsuna's eyes narrowed and she extracted a notepad and biro. "Very interesting, Mr. Saotome. What makes you say that?"

Genma thought quickly. "Well, my wife was always very interested in Ranko. Always wanted her to make her an 'aunt'. And I know my in-laws, they're just like our master, _they_ would make dealings with demons. And they might just have brainwashed my wife into going along with it. Please, you must help!"

'Agent' Meiou finished making notes and schooled her features before gazing at Genma. "And we will. This is a very interesting lead you have given me, one I will look into as soon as possible, rest assured."

"Thank you, Agent Meiou," both men replied with a bow.

"No, thank _you_. Well, this is just an assumption, but the story of the training trip might just have been a cover to explain your nieces' disappearance," Setsuna continued angrily, playing her role to the hilt.

"That'd be just like 'em. Those bastards are good, very good. But how can _we_ help?" Genma asked eagerly.

"Why would they kidnap and impregnate Ranko with a demon spawn in the first place? What do they hope to gain?" Soun asked, his face scrunched up in confusion.

'Agent' Meiou's face darkened visibly. "We suspect that they want to gain the favour of an Elite Demon Lord. What for we can only speculate. Possibilities are either power, support or, most likely, immortality."

"Immortality?" asked Genma incredulous, his eyes glinting at the thought. "_That_ is possible?"

"Oh yes. In exchange for a sacrifice far greater than any mortal man could ever fathom. Only the darkest and most evil of individuals would even think of going that far," the dark-clad woman said gravely.

"Anyway," Soun waved that away, "What can we do to help Ranko? How can we destroy this demon spawn the poor la…ss is forced to carry?"

'Agent' Meiou sighed. "You can trust me when I say that we have exorcised a lot of demons in the past. Pretty nasty business, that. The only effective tool to destroy such a demon spawn completely is a potion our bureau has at its disposal. Members of our research team stumbled upon an ancient tome filled with long-lost knowledge about fifty years ago, and we have made good use of it."

"But?" Genma pressed on. "What's the catch?"

Setsuna looked him dead in the eyes, and Genma could feel her intent stare even through her sun-glasses. "The potion has to be ingested, of course. It's virtually undetectable, either by smell or otherwise, but still, the demon victim has to ingest it. Which brings about several problems, as you can guess."

"Such as?" Soun asked, not feeling up to playing guessing games.

"Well, one problem has been taken care of, fortunately. Ranko has, according to our information, escaped whomever held her captive," she said towards Genma.

"Good b… girl!" crowed Genma, pumping a fist in the air.

"But we have no idea where he is. The energy the demon spawn gave off isn't detectable any more, and your niece might be compelled by the demon to give birth to it, Mr. Tendo," she finished with a sigh.

"That weak girl…" Genma growled, his mood taking a complete one eighty.

"Make no mistake, Mr. Saotome," Setsuna said in a grave tone that sent shivers up and down his spine, "No human being, regardless how strong, can resist a demon. Especially not if the child is that of an Elite Demon Lord."

"But still…" Genma grumbled stubbornly.

"Believe me, there are forces out there that cannot be fought off, Mr. Saotome. Do you honestly think you would be able to fight of an entity that can enslave your mind and bend it to its wishes with nary a thought?" the disguised Senshi of Pluto stated challengingly, crossing her arms across her chest. "Ranko is undoubtedly a very good martial artist, but she has no training in the mind arts that is worth mentioning, and the repeated exposure to the supernatural is bound to have weakened her, is bound to have made her prone to attacks of demonic nature. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about, I've seen it all before."

Genma sputtered and Soun laid a hand on his shoulder. "Let it go, Saotome. The agent knows of what we've faced, what Ranko has faced, she knows what she's talking about. It's on us to help Ranko this time!" he cried and slammed his right palm on the table for emphasis.

"Right you are, Tendo. Ahem. What can _we_ do, Agent Meiou?"

"We suspect that Ranko might wound up at your house sooner or later, Mr. Tendo," Setsuna said to Soun. "We know from her profile that Ranko is apt at disguising herself, and your home is one of the few safe havens she knows. Should she turn up, add the potion to a soup or something similar. That should take care of everything. But…"

"But?" asked Genma and Soun in unison.

"Ranko will have to undergo the most excruciating experience of her life. The potion triggers a miscarriage that will remove the demon spawn from her, and you can very well guess that it will be very traumatic," Setsuna explained, her face grave.

While Soun still looked empathising Genma's face had already scrunched up in determination. "Ranko will thank us once she's rid of that vile abomination! And pain…bah! A little pain is nothing to a true martial artist!"

Soun nodded empathically. "Too true, Saotome. And I'm sure that her cousins will be able to help her overcome the pain."

"Excellent thinking, Tendo. Couldn't have done it better myself."

"Why, thank you, Saotome. Do you have that potion on you, Agent Meiou? We want to be prepared in case Ranko turns up."

'Agent' Meiou nodded. "I had hoped that you'd ask. Here," she said and seemingly reached into her cloak while actually pulling the flask out of her stuff-space which she then handed Soun, "Add all of this to her food. And remember, you're doing your niece, as well as your country, a great service."

"We're honoured, Agent Meiou," Soun replied and bowed, Genma doing the same. "We'll exorcise this demon spawn as soon as Ranko turns up."

"That we will, Tendo. We'll save the b… girl from the demon's clutches!" Genma added.

Setsuna smiled. "It's good to know that there are still patriots in this country, gentlemen. Now I must bid you good bye. I have duties to fulfil and places to be."

Genma and Soun bowed once more, but when they returned to their upright positions to thank 'Agent' Meiou, the woman was already gone.

-.-

**The same day, late evening, Ryugenzawa**

It had been a very tiring day filled with helping Gramps and Shinnosuke setting new traps, training and many other things, and a now very exhausted and five months pregnant Ranma stopped in her kata and padded over to the hut. The kata the now, once again, redheaded girl regularly performed after dinner always helped her regain her equilibrium, but now she was really knackered and fit for bed. Saying good night to Shinnosuke and Gramps after she had conducted her business, Ranma went to her room, and she was sound asleep as soon as her head hit the mattress.

The only sounds that could be heard from her room were soft snores, and the young red-haired woman slept like a log for five hours straight; but then, suddenly, she began tossing and turning. The dream she'd had of fighting Vegetto and being a hairsbreadth away from defeating him suddenly changed, and Ranma found herself in a house that eerily resembled the Tendo dojo. What the hell was going on here?

Shaking her head in confusion Ranma set herself in motion and followed the sounds of combat she could hear from the dojo. Ignoring the eeriness of the situation (she didn't fear nothing after all) she entered the dojo stealthily, and face-vaulted as soon as she saw the person who was currently engaged in an intricate and fast paced kata that would even tax her. Noticing her, the blur stopped in front of her, turning into a very beautiful silvery-red-haired girl of about twenty. "Hello, Mom," she said with a smile.

Ranma, who'd still been busy with picking her jaw up from the ground face-vaulted painfully again. "M-Mom? I ain't your mom."

The girl smiled. "Sure you're not, Mom. And I don't share twenty-three of your chromosomes and you won't give birth to me in about four months. Okay, not to _me _per se, but to my newborn self," she corrected with a grin. "Nope, not at all, Mom."

"Err…" Ranma stuttered, fumbling for words. What did someone retort to a statement like that anyway? Ranma for her part was at a loss for words, something her daughter seemed to find very amusing.

"Cat got your tongue, Mom?" she asked impishly.

"C-C-Cat! W-Where?" Ranma cried out, looking around frantically.

Neo-Serenity sighed, her blue eyes losing the twinkle that had made them sparkle. "Sorry. I forgot you still suffer from your fear of cats, Momma," she said and stepped forward to envelope her shaking mother in a hug, something that Ranma didn't even try to fight. "That's one of the first things I'll rectify once we retrieve the Silver Crystal," she finished in a determined tone, softly stroking her mother's back.

"Y-You _know_? How?" Ranma managed to ask once she had calmed down. "And why ain't I havin' the urge to get outta the hug?"

"Because I'm not a certain Amazon, Momma," the teen replied with an impish grin, letting her mother out of the hug, "Yeah, I know everything, Mom, every stupid thing that ever happened to you. Especially what Grandpa did to you. Once I get to meet him, I'll help him grow a brain," she promised darkly.

Ranma chuckled. "Yeah, that's gonna take magic for sure, that miracle. But what 'bout the hug? I mean, normally I ain't letting myself get hugged by any girl if I can help it. And you—"

"It's probably because I'm your daughter, Mom, and you subconsciously know it," she said with a smile. "I really know everything, Momma, my magic showed me all of your memories. I can't thank you enough for having me," she said, tears now streaming down her face. "I love you, Momma."

The Saotome girl reared back as if she had been slapped. "Y-You what? Y-You l-love me? No . . . no one ever said they loved me… 'cept Mom lately, and I dunno if I can believe her," she muttered.

A still crying neo-queen flung herself around a surprised Ranma's neck, and slowly, awkwardly, the redhead returned the strong embrace. "I s-still can't b-believe that G-Grandpa never s-said he l-loved you, M-Momma. But I l-love you, Mom. I- I'm your d-daughter, and I love you!" she gasped out between sobs.

Ranma, who was a lot more prone to expressing her emotions due to her pregnancy began to cry herself, which was not least due to the fact that every word her daughter had said had been the honest to goodness truth. This girl really loved her. It was an overwhelming feeling. "T-Thanks, Senny-c-chan. I m-must have s-sumthin' in my eye," she muttered barely above a whisper, wiping her eyes.

"Moooom!" the so named Senny exclaimed half-laughing, half-crying, and used her right index finger to wipe away the excess tears, "I know your history, but it's okay for girls to cry! See? I do too!"

"B-But I'm a g-guy," Ranma muttered, blinking more tears away.

Senny hugged Ranma again and undid her mother's pigtail so she could play with her mother's hair. "Momma, I know of your male form, but you'll always be my mother. You'll be the one who'll give birth to my newborn form in a few months, and that makes you my mom. And you always will be."

"B-But—"

"Momma, admit it, you knew of the possibility that you might come to see yourself as my mom. I know it from your memories! Don't lie to yourself, Mom, you have even begun to accept it lately. Face it, you're my mom. A mom who'll turn into a guy with warm water once you can change back, but always my momma. I'm just a girl with two moms, one of which died a long time ago," Senny said, stroking her mother's hair. "And I love you, Mom."

Ranma gulped hard once, then her thoughtful expression slowly changed into a smile. "I love you too, Senny-chan. And I think I might be able to get used to being your mom," she mused and drew her daughter into an even tighter embrace. "Even if I'll be your dad half of the time."

Senny sighed in contentment and rested her head on her smaller mother's shoulder. "Thanks, Momma. I know you'll be a great mom. And a great dad too," she smiled.

Ranma smiled back, and the image of her smiling daughter was her last impression before she was whisked out of the dreamscape and back into her normal sleep pattern. Had someone been in Ranma's room and watched the red-haired girl they would have noticed a soft smile slowly spreading over her face as she continued to sleep peacefully, one hand resting on her belly while the other hand unconsciously undid her pigtail…

-.-

**A week later**

Ranma hadn't had any more contacts with her daughter, but she still remembered their first and sole encounter vividly. It had been mind-boggling for her to be able to talk to her baby-daughter, who was, by all rights, not more than a five-month-old foetus. But magic apparently went a long way in making seemingly impossible things possible. She should know, Ranma mused wryly, she had the magical curse to prove it.

The Saotome girl surmised that the lack of contact had something to do with the maturing of the magic that the recording of the Queen had mentioned, probably something to do with gathering strength for the next phases or some such. She knew everything about gathering strength herself, and Ranma could tell in her gut that her daughter was preparing for something big.

Privately, the talk with her daughter had affected her a great deal. It was true, she had considered that she would be the baby's mother even before their meeting, for it was something she couldn't ignore, something that her body was preparing her for being all the time. She had finally accepted the baby as hers—as her daughter—and it had been a very emotional moment for her when she had done so.

It wasn't just an anonymous baby she was carrying any more, this was her daughter, her flesh and blood. All the shit about being a surrogate mother had flown out of the window, and she would do her damn best to be the very best mother she could be. She'd had many examples how parenting shouldn't be done, thus she'd stick to her gut feeling and do the exact opposite of what her own parents had done and she should be fine.

Ranma grimaced as her thoughts stopped at her parents. Stupid, quixotic idiots that they were, she still loved them, for reasons she couldn't fathom, and she missed them. As much as she missed the Tendos, the only real family she'd ever had in her life. It would be so nice to taste Kasumi's cooking again, or to (try to) evade one of Nabiki's usual schemes, or trying to make Akane's head explode, heck, she even missed Ukyo and her cute fiancée act. She really enjoyed the peace and quiet in the forests of Ryugenzawa, but she missed Nerima. Very much.

Sighing the red-haired girl suppressed the feelings of homesickness and melancholia and tried to concentrate on her kata. Her morning kata were what got her started for the day, and she knew just how important training—within reason, of course—was in her precarious situation.

Ranma kept at it for a good twenty minutes until a growing feeling of discomfort slowed her down. She winced all of a sudden and had to cease her movements completely as she felt the baby give off a burst of… something. The redhead exhaled deeply and directed her focus inwards and managed to mask it with a further revised Umi she had specifically modified for those strange outbursts, but it had been a close call. This particular outburst had been the strongest yet, and if they continued to grow in intensity she would be hard pressed to conceal them. Which was bad.

Ranma was quite certain that it was only due to the fact that she didn't use more ki than her Umi could hide that she had not been detected, but these magical outbursts made detection ever more probable, and that was completely unacceptable. She wouldn't go back, even if she had as good as come to terms with what they had done. She still hadn't forgiven them, but it hurt less. But not sufficiently less to even _consider_ going back.

Shrugging, she threw herself into her current kata yet again, driven by the fierce determination that she had to be strong enough to protect and help her child; together they would beat Fate. One Saotome didn't lose, but two Saotomes together could only win. Earth would not be turned into a dessert of ice, no, they'd laugh Fate in its face and kick its balls and their clan could go to hell for all she cared.

Maybe she shouldn't have thought so deprecatingly about Fate, for suddenly a distinct battle cry she hadn't heard in a long time rang throughout the area: "RANMA, PREPARE TO DIE!"

-.-

Ranma was completely and utterly flabbergasted and stared in open-mouthed and wide-eyed suprise. She had been so sure that nobody would be able to find her here as it was one of the most unlikely places to go, plus she had made sure to leave absolutely no signature or trail. Nobody should have been able to find her, but she had forgotten that Ryoga's odd sense of direction could apparently lead him almost anywhere. Shrugging her surprise off, she surveyed Ryoga. Wearing an angry scowl, check; wearing his backpack and umbrella, check; the tell-tale bandanna, check; barred fangs, check.

"Hello pig-boy. What leads ya here?" she asked in an attempt of good humour.

Something that was obviously not appreciated by Ryoga. "DON'T CALL ME THAT, RANMA! BECAUSE OF YOU I'VE SEEN HELL!"

"Hah! Can't have been worse than the hell I've been through," Ranma muttered with a dark look in her eyes.

Which was something that threw Ryoga off for some seconds. Then he was back on track. "YOU MADE AKANE CRY, RANMA! FOR THAT YOU'LL PAY!" he exclaimed and trust his umbrella at her mid-section.

Ranma carefully avoided the blow by sidestepping, something that caused Ryoga to raise a mocking brow. "Dancing outta the way like a girl, Ranma?" he taunted, his right brow cocked.

The red-haired girl scoffed, a scowl adorning her face. "What would _you_ know, p-chan?" she spat and dodged another blow. "So Akane cried, yeah? From joy, ain't it? Betcha she's happy that the 'perverted baka' is outta her life," Ranma snorted, but her eyes revealed her sorrow. "It's better this way. I ain't blaming her for leavin' behind the insanity that some call my life. Heck, sometimes I wish _I_ could leave it all behind…"

"Ranma?" Ryoga asked, now really thrown for a loop by his rival's words. "You're joking, right? Come on, you're having me on here. THAT'S IT, YOU'RE TRYING TO FOOL ME ONCE AGAIN!"

"Whatever," Ranma sighed. Then she looked him in the eyes. "So, what do you want?"

"WHAT DO I WANT? I WANT TO MAKE YOU PAY! YOU MADE MY LIFE HELL AND AKANE CRY!" **'Besides, Akari has her monthlies, and it's safer anywhere else but at the farm. And I've missed our matches, but I'll never admit that, heh heh,'.** "SO PREPARE TO DIE!"

Ranma shook her head and gave Ryoga a look the large boy had trouble interpreting, effectively stopping the lost boy in his tracks. "Sorry, no can do. If it were just for me I'd throw myself into the fight without hesitation, but it ain't just for me. I ain't gonna fight you, Ryoga."

"WHAT?" Ryoga exclaimed in complete disbelief. "The great Ranma Saotome, forfeiting a fight? Come on, what are you, a sissy?"

"Insulting me ain't gonna change anything, Ryoga. Besides, you've got no idea _what_ I am," Ranma replied and tried to keep her voice even.

"Hah! You look like a girl to me, Ranma! You talk like one, you walk like one, and what's that, even more bust? Did you go all girl, Ranma?" Ryoga taunted, his eyes glittering maliciously.

The insult to her—temporarily—lost male half really riled Ranma up, and her pregnancy-induced temper surged. "WHAT DO _YOU_ KNOW, YOU JERK! I'VE SEEN THE REAL HELL, YOU STUPID IDIOT!" she bellowed in righteous—female—fury.

What she didn't notice was that silver lightning was coursing through and over her body, making her look like a miniature thundercloud. Ryoga did, and it took him aback. **'What the hell has happened to you, Ranma? Meh, if I follow our usual routine I'll surely find out.'**

"Aww, it's that time of the month for you, eh? Boohoo," Ryoga taunted, trying to get his rival/friend to spill the beans.

However, Ranma reacted differently than he had thought. "Shut up, you jerk! You know nuthin', do you hear me, _nuthin'_! And now leave me the hell alone. Stupid jerk!" she muttered, whirled around and began to walk towards the hut she lived in with Shinnosuke and Gramps.

She had almost made it to the door when Ryoga caught up with her, and he laid his right hand on her shoulder and turned her around. Or at least he tried to do so, for as soon as Ranma felt the contact she grabbed the hand, twisted it and threw Ryoga into a nearby tree. "Don't touch me," she snarled coldly, her eyes flashing silver for a moment.

Ryoga came to his feet with a growl, his venture to find out about the details of what had happened to Ranma forgotten. "YAN YAN KO!" he yelled, and let loose his new ki-attack based on his love for Akari.

Ranma looked surprised for a moment, but her reaction-time was much too fast to be caught truly flatfooted. "Moko Takabisha!" she yelled, but instead of the normal blue ki-sphere a blue-silver orb left her palms.

The red-haired girl looked as astonished as Ryoga, but both teens' attention was soon solely fixated on the attacks that were rushing towards another. A few seconds later they met in mid-air, seconds that seemed to last a lifetime for both teens. An instinct went off in Ranma that told her to seek cover, and the red-haired girl hesitated not a second as she ran to duck behind a thick tree. She caught the look of surprise on Ryoga's face, and he probably wondered why she hid like a coward; this was until the attacks met.

For instead of the expected small explosion, something akin to a super-nova went off, which blasted everything in a thirty-metre-radius, Ryoga included. The lost boy was thrown through three trees and embedded in another, and only his extraordinary toughness saved him from grave injuries. Nevertheless, he was battered, even if not out for the count.

Long moments later Ryoga finally peeled himself out of the indention he had made and fell to the ground with a thump, exclaiming a comical "Ouch," he protested and remained motionless for another few moments, and had just propped himself up on his elbows when Ranma walked over to him. "Damn, what the hell did you hit me with? Feels like I got kicked by an elephant or ten."

Ranma kneeled by his side, her lips tilting upwards at the corner. "Sorry 'bout that, but that wasn't me. Well, not just me. Oof, kneeling is stupid," she complained and got back to her feet.

"Huh? What the hell do you mean, not just you? Who else fired that thing at me?" Ryoga growled, his dark eyes flashing in annoyance.

The red-haired girl sighed. "It's a bit complicated, buddy," she said, and chuckled humourlessly. "Heck, what in my life ain't?"

She sat down and leant back against a tree. "Ryoga, I'll put it bluntly, and I ain't gonna repeat myself. What I'll tell you is the damned bloody truth, and if you laugh, I'll kill you. I swear on my honour that I'll fuckin' kill you," she growled darkly, her tone of voice putting the fear of Kami-sama into Ryoga's heart.

"O… kay, Ranma. I swear on my honour that I won't laugh. So, what's the news? Why were you avoiding my blows instead of blocking or taking them? Your female form is tough enough to take them, I know that from experience," Ryoga said wryly.

"I ain't gonna let anyone hit me. Ever. It wouldn't hurt me, but the baby," Ranma whispered, her eyes hooded.

Ryoga, who had strained to listen, fell over to the side. "B-B-Baby?" he asked weakly, trying to recover from the most supreme face-vault in recorded history. Slowly surprise was replaced by scepticism, then by anger. "You're having me on again, Ranma!" he growled. "How dare you make jokes about… about something like that!"

From one moment to the other the clearing was basked in silver-red light, which emitted from a furious red-haired girl who had jumped to her feet. "YOU JERK!" Ranma shouted like only an angry pregnant female can, her eyes glowing silver, "HOW DARE YOU DOUBT ME! DO YOU THINK I WOULD JOKE ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT? IDIOT! I'M NEARLY SIX MONTHS PREGNANT, YOU ABSOLUTE ASS! I…" she suddenly trailed off and looked down at her lower abdomen when she felt a strong kick. "It's okay, little one," Ranma cooed softly, stroking her stomach, "Mommy ain't angry any more. The jerk will be good now. You _will_ be good now, won'tcha?" she glared.

Ryoga had the distinct feeling that he had entered the twilight zone. Seeing his long-time rival like this was simply unreal. "R-Ranma? What is going on here? Why the hell are you talking to your stomach and c-calling yourself Momma? Are . . . are you really… p… pre… pregnant?"

Ranma sighed and ran her hand across her eyes. "Yeah, Ryoga, I am. Sorry 'bout the outburst, but I ain't really myself at the moment. The hormones and all that, y'know?"

The lost boy shook his head in disbelief and banged it backwards against the tree a few times, making a good-sized indention in the process. "Damn, if I tell Akari this—uh oh, bad idea. She might want to have one of her own," Ryoga muttered with a sweatdrop rolling down the back of his head.

Ranma sighed again. "Ryoga, I know that you can't keep your mouth shut," she ignored his indignant, "Hey! Not true!", "but if you gotta tell anyone, tell Nabiki. No one else. I owe her that much. Do not tell Akane, Mr. Tendo or my father. Not even Akari. Promise on your honour as a martial artist," she demanded seriously.

Seeing just how serious Ranma was Ryoga nodded in agreement. "I promise, Ranma. But how did . . . _it_ happen? I just can't imagine you and a guy doing… _that_."

Ranma made a disgusted face. "Eeeeugh! I'd rather… dunno… willingly eat Akane's cooking and demand second helpings, before doing that. No, here is what happened…"

Sitting in front of a hastily made campfire, Ranma let Ryoga in on what had happened during the last five-and-a-half months. She left nothing out, and noticed just how cathartic it felt to talk about the dreadful events. "And that's what happened."

Ryoga shook his head in disbelief. "Damn . . . your clan . . . your own clan doing that to you! I can't believe it! Bastards!" he exclaimed heatedly. Then his anger was gradually replaced by worry. "Ranma, just how credible is that 'Great Freeze' bullshit?"

Ranma sighed and ran her hand across her eyes again. "_Very_ credible, Ryoga. I've seen proof, good proof. I believe my clan that they subjected me to this 'cause they honestly believed they had no other choice, and they mentioned some nonsense that I was the only one who met all the requirements."

"Damn. I gotta warn my family, regardless of how long it takes. When will this 'Great Freeze' take place, you said? And how?"

"I hadn't said a thing," she retorted with a smirk, only to sober up at his irritated expression. "The 'Great Freeze' is gonna be caused by a gigantic asteroid named 'Doombringer', and that fucking rock can't be stopped by anything we have at our disposal. Happy now? 'Doombringer' will knock Earth of course and into an orbit closer to Mars, about three years from now on. Damn, hope I'm gettin' this right . . . 'the resulting climate-change and ecological disaster will kill over ninety percent of Earth's population," Ranma recited tonelessly.

"Holy shit! We must—we can—shit! What _can_ we do?" Ryoga asked desperately, wringing his hands.

"There ain't nuthin' _we_ can do, Ryoga. We can only hope and pray that my little one will indeed be able to do what my grandparents expected of her. If not . . . well, bye bye world as we know it."

"Fuck! Only three years… damn! And how long am I supposed keep this under wraps? The others _deserve_ to know about this catastrophe," Ryoga reasoned.

Ranma sighed and barely resisted the urge to massage her aching temples. "I know. I'll tell them myself, after I've given birth to the baby."

Ryoga shook his head. "B-Birth… I can't believe it. Twilight zone," he muttered and slapped himself a few times to check if this was real. Finding that it was he exhaled deeply and looked Ranma in the eyes. "I _will_ keep it under wraps till then. If you haven't told them within a week after the birth, I'll do it. And I'll inform my parents," he concluded in a tone that left no room for objection.

"Deal," Ranma said, holding out her hand.

Ryoga took it and gave it a firm shake. "Deal. Just out of curiosity, how can a _baby_ save the world? I mean, the baby will be just that, an infant."

Ranma sighed once more. "Keep your hat on, you're hardly going to believe it. The docs made genetic changes to the egg-cell fifteen-thousand years ago, and that'll cause her to age rapidly. They said she'd age to about the age of twenty in two years time, and after what I've seen, I believe it."

Ryoga's first reaction was astonishment, then anger. "Fifteen-thousand years!" he shook his head, he had probably heard wrong. "Damn those bastards! They're robbing her off eighteen years of growth and experience!" he yelled. Then something caught up with him. "Daughter? You're gonna have a daughter? Damn, _you_… a _mother_! I can't believe it! Your life really _is_ hell."

Ranma looked thoughtful. "Dunno if it's just those hormones, but it ain't so bad any more. Really," she said at seeing his doubtful look. "It _was_ pretty bad… okay, it was _really_ bad, but I had time to think things through, and my peace and quiet. This baby is, by all rights, _my_ daughter. She didn't ask to come into the world like this, and I'll never blame her for what they did to me. I know it's girlish, but I love her, Ryoga. I love her," she whispered in such an honest tone that Ryoga couldn't do anything but believe her.

"Damn, that's really deep, Ranma," he muttered, a thoughtful expression on his face. Darkness had settled by now, and it was getting steadily colder; fact that made the two teens glad for the campfire they had started. Holding his hands close to the heat to warm them, Ryoga surveyed the red-haired girl. "I really dunno if I'd have the strength to cope with it like you did."

Ranma, who was warming her fingers too, grinned impishly at Ryoga. "You'd probably have levelled Tokyo with Shi Shi Hokodans 'cause of depression," she chuckled, amusement making her blue eyes glitter.

Ryoga chuckled. "Probably."

Silence stretched for a while, until Ranma glanced at Ryoga. "You know, I had really thought about doing just that after I got my abilities back. Just blowing up my grandparents' house in a fit of depression and rage. I'd have had more than enough heavy ki. You know what stopped me?"

"No idea. What?"

"Our code, Ryoga. The heavy ki would have killed the baby for sure, and as a martial artist I got a duty to protect the weak. Can't get any weaker than a baby, huh? That was the reason why I kept the baby in the beginning, not because she could potentially save the world and all that shit, nope. But I ain't puttin' it past my dear relatives that they counted on my views of honour," the red-haired girl growled.

"Bastards," Ryoga snarled, "I promise I won't tell anyone, Ranma. People like your 'dear family' mustn't find you. Heck, your own folks… Your life is officially more of a hell than mine, and my vendetta against you ends here and now. I'll help you anyway I can, my word on that."

Ranma's eyes widened in surprise, then a smile blossomed on her face, the first real smile in long. "Thanks, man. I 'preciate it. Hey," she exclaimed with a giggle, "someone else seems to 'preciate it too!"

"Can I… may I…" Ryoga stuttered.

It took Ranma a few seconds to understand what Ryoga was getting at, and once she had the red-haired girl smiled as only an expecting mother can. "Sure," she said, and lifted her undershirt and pullover just far enough for her underwear to peek out.

Ryoga looked at her in astonishment. "You… You're wearing a bra!"

"Ain't we the observant one. You try dragging these things around without the proper support, its soooo much fun, I tell ya," Ranma growled.

The lost boy sweatdropped, then he tentatively reached out with a trembling hand. Ranma let him take his time, and Ryoga finally placed a warm hand on Ranma's exposed stomach. He felt a strong kick nearly instantly, and his hand jerked back. "Whoa!" he exclaimed in surprise.

Ranma giggled. "She seems to like it. Try again," she encouraged.

Ryoga nodded, and repeated the manoeuvre with a look of concentration. This time he didn't jerk back when the baby kicked, and an astonished look spread over his face. "Whoa," he exclaimed again, this time in wonder.

"Yeah," nodded Ranma. "She's really something else. No matter how she came about, I'll always love her. And I'll never abandon her like my mother did with me," she vowed.

"Ranma!" Ryoga exclaimed suddenly in a very alarmed tone, "What's going on here?"

Ranma, who'd had her eyes closed, looked down at herself. And stared. "What the . . ." she managed to exclaim before an enormous energy surge swept over them. "Oh shit! She just came fully into her powers, and I couldn't cloak it. Fuck!"

Ryoga, who surveyed Ranma with a worried expression knew instinctively that that wasn't a good thing…

-.-

**Saotome Manor**

"Sir!" one of the monitors exclaimed urgently, "we just got a huge magical outburst from the north-west region . . . closing in… around Ryugenzawa, sir. That might be what we were looking for."

Xenma looked over the man's shoulder and studied the screen. "Very good," he said and patted the man's back. "Ayame," he said, speaking into his intercom, "we got her. I want you to go to Ryugenzawa. Here are the coordinates."

-.-

Ami Mizuno was brooding over an equation that involved multi-dimensional figures, and she was just making some progress when her Mercury computer alarm went off. Now she was glad that her mother had the night shift tonight, which allowed her to check the device immediately. "What in Kami-sama's name is that?" she muttered to herself. "I've never seen anything like it . . . computer, initiate magical analysis," she added, glad that she had found out about the voice-activation her computer had.

The device complied with a beep, and Ami leant back in her office chair, eagerly anticipating the results. After a few agonising moments that felt like an eternity to the Senshi of Mercury, the device produced results. Finally.

SILVER MILLENNIUM ENERGY DETECTED.  
LOCATION: RYUGENZAWA, JAPAN.  
RECOMMENDED COURSE OF ACTION: IMMEDIATE INVESTIGATION.

"What the…" exclaimed Ami in surprise, completely thrown for a loop. "Silver Millennium energy, and in that concentration? Another Senshi, perhaps? Regardless, I have to notify the others."

With experience born from countless times Ami informed her team-mates in her usual calm, competent, and quick way, and seconds later, the complete Senshi team—save one—had agreed to meet at the outskirts of Juuban from where they'd then teleport to their destination. Ami hadn't been able to contact Pluto, but that was hardly surprising. The mysterious Senshi of Time was quite the elusive character, but she'd appear on the scene if the situation required it. Besides, they'd pull through on their own. It was just Silver Millennium energy and not an enemy, right?

**to be continued**…


	7. Chapter 7

**Title**: Chaotic Rebirth

**Author name**: Trugeta

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Rumiko Takahashi and Marvel and VIZ as well as Naoko Takeuchi and many others. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Note further that I don't own any of the trademarks mentioned in this story. Also, the OCs used in this story are a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead is not intended and purely coincidental.

This story takes place after the failed wedding in the Ranma series and the defeat of Galaxia in the Sailor Moon Series. It's an AU, and reviews are welcome and appreciated.

**  
Chapter 7**

**  
**Ami Mizuno, Senshi of Mercury and the brain amongst the ranks of the Sailor Senshi was the first to appear at the concerted meeting place, a copse in the outskirts of Juuban that was quite remote. It was deep at night, 1:16 a.m. to be exact, and just the full moon overhead provided some illumination in these spooky woods.

The chance of a run-in with someone was almost zero, and the small clearing they had chosen as one of their meeting places for group teleports hadn't seen a human being in years.

That was not lest due to the fact that this particular copse held the reputation of being haunted ever since the Youma menace had started, and it _had_ been a rallying point for enemy forces until Beryl had been defeated. But due to occasional Youma appearances that still occurred from time to time the reputation still held true, which was just fine with the Sailor Senshi. They dusted the Youma with experience born from countless encounters and kept their rallying point clean.

Sailor Mercury sat down on a large tree trunk and made as usual optimal use of the time she spent waiting and began to analyse the data she had on the power spike. "It's Silver Millennium energy alright, but the concentration is… immense. Who-or whatever it is, it could be even stronger than Usagi…" Ami muttered and ran her right hand through her cobalt blue hair, a thoughtful frown on her face.

"What could be stronger than dumpling head, and how is something being stronger than her impressive?" asked a yawning voice from behind her.

"Mars, you nearly gave me a heart attack! Since when do you sneak up like Pluto?" Mercury demanded, her frown deepening.

Mars snickered and stepped to in front of her fellow scout. "Since I've seen how much fun it is. I even teleported in a good half kilometre away to test it.

"I'm sure it'll drive meatball head crazy. So what about that energy? Is it dangerous?"

"Is what dangerous? Whatever it is, it interrupted a very promising date," Sailor Venus complained the moment she had appeared, a pout on her beautiful face.

"Is that all you ever care about, V?" another voice asked exasperatedly.

"Of course, Mako-chan. I was just getting serious with this really cute guy when my stupid communicator went off. And that guy was soooo hot..." Venus sighed with hearts in her eyes.

"Feh. Men can't be trusted. I'll never know why you pine after those primitives…" Mars added her own two cents.

"You never know what you're missing out on until you've tried it," Minako retorted, and it was plain obvious to which 'it' she was referring. "And just because your last boyfriend sucked doesn't mean you have to sulk for months, Rei. Not all men are idiots, my new prospective boyfriend sure isn't," Venus added with a dreamy look on her face.

"Tried what?" another sleepy voice asked, interrupting what Rei had wanted to say.

"Why, Moon, getting seduced by a hot boy, of course," Venus replied with a saucy grin.

Moon just stared at her through sleepy eyes and slowly shook her head. "I'm not awake enough yet to listen to your latest exploit, V. I wanna get to those coordinates, do my job and get back to bed."

"But he was so handsome and strong..." the Senshi of love sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, they're all sooo handsome till they turn out to be the next enemy. And anyway, the world doesn't revolve around boys, and this energy reading is a thousand times more important than your new boyfriend of the day, V," Mars retorted with a slight growl to her voice.

"Is it that time of the month for you or are you just feeling catty?" Venus shot back with a growl to her voice.

"Ouch," Makoto muttered. "Low blow alert."

"No, it isn't," Rei retorted heatedly. "It's just that I don't want to hear about your exploits, not after the last debacle I went through. That idiot wanted nothing but to get into my panties, and here I'd thought there was more to Akio. That said, I have yet to meet a boy that's not hell bent on laying a girl in the course of their first meeting," she added with a scowl.

"That sounds like a challenge for the Senshi of Love!" Venus exclaimed enthusiastically, striking a pose. "It's just that you had a stroke of bad luck, Rei. We will find you a decent guy yet!" she added reassuringly, her smile radiant.

Mars stared wide-eyed at a Sailor Venus who was practically bouncing at having the opportunity to play matchmaker. "What have I done?" she muttered despairingly and shot a praying look to the heavens, which disregarded her prayers as usual.

Venus hadn't heard her, or had, more likely, just ignored her. After all, she was a woman with a mission. "We'll go boywatching as soon as this crisis is over, Rei, just you and me. The day I, Sailor Venus fail in all things pertaining to love will be a cold day in hell! We shall get you a decent boyfriend yet!"

"Can we get this back on track again?" Ami sighed exasperatedly, a bit perturbed that her friends were behaving so immature despite being the world's saviours several times over.

"Rei and Ami are right," their leader said to the surprise of the others. "We need to check this person or thing that's emitting that energy."

"W-What? Usagi is agreeing with Rei? Run for the hills, the world is coming to an end!" Minako exclaimed with wide eyes, making warding gestures.

"Very funny," Usagi replied with a sour face, deftly ignoring the smug look one Rei Hino was wearing. "What about Pluto and the Outers?"

"They'll join us at the coordinates. It's easier for them to use one of Pluto's portals," Ami explained.

Usagi nodded her head in acceptance. "Good. Then let's teleport over, I want to get to bed and grab something to eat, not necessarily in this order."

Her fellow Senshi chuckled, and seconds later they were off.

-.-

The Senshi had just teleported into the area of Ryugenzawa, a safe distance away from their target, when a voice suddenly spoke up. "Good, you're here."

The group whirled around as one, looks of surprise and anger on their faces as they caught sight of the Outers and the someone who had given them a surprise yet again. "Don't do that, Pluto!" Moon yelled, stomping her right foot onto the soft forest soil.

"Sorry, Princess," Pluto said, but everyone could tell she wasn't sorry in the least. If anything it was amusement that glittered in her unfathomable red eyes.

A cool breeze made Setsuna's green mane billow behind her back and it seemed to whisk away her amusement. The Senshi of Pluto visibly schooled her features and focussed on their leader. "I have intel on our target. Her name is Ranko Tendo, and she—or rather her actions—single-handedly destroyed Crystal Tokyo."

It took a few seconds for her words to sink in, but once that had happened and the significance had been understood pandemonium reigned. Sailor Moon remained uncharacteristically calm and ignored the shocked and angry exclamations of her team mates and looked Pluto square in the eyes. "How?" was her simple question.

The Mistress of Time sighed. "It's rather complicated, Princess. The gist of things is that her clan made a deal with a Demon Lord that would grant them favours once the child is born, and it's her child that'll destroy our carefully hatched future," she explained, her red eyes shining with barely repressed anger.

"Is this the reason why Usa," Moon visibly struggled for composure, "disappeared?"

The Princess of Pluto nodded her head. "Yes, Princess. There is a good chance that Small Lady will exist again once we have eliminated this threat to Crystal Tokyo. I know you do not like a situation where you have to sacrifice lives—and especially someone else's child—to save our own, but this is the child of an Elite Demon Lord and a human we are talking about. We cannot afford to be merciful," the greenhaired woman reasoned.

The fellow Senshi watched as Moon's thoughtful expression slowly changed into a troubled one. "You are right, Pluto, I absolutely hate it. Even though I have not given birth to Usa yet and hope I won't for some time either," that elicited chuckles, "I am her mother. I can hardly imagine something more crushing than a mother losing a child," she sighed and closed her eyes for a moment to get a handle on the intense pain she was feeling.

"I agree, Princess. But we have to consider what we are fighting for. The glorious future of the human race in exchange for an unborn demon child," Uranus argued, her hands planted on her hips.

Ami sighed and massaged her temples. "The well being of the many outweighs that of the individual, that's what it boils down to. The question is, do we have the right to decide who lives and dies, especially if this pertains to an innocent?" she asked, looking from Haruka to Michiru and finally Setsuna.

Pluto let a laboured sigh escape her lips. "Ethics always are a hot potato, to use a simple term. But let us view them as what they are—a guideline provided by society to govern behaviour. Don't get me wrong, I don't say we should jettison our morals, though we should take into consideration that it'll be one single person that will lay waste to the future we have always fought for.

"This person," her red eyes searched and found Usagi's blue ones, "has already cost us a beloved team mate and friend, a daughter and to some a sister," her eyes came to rest on Hotaru, who wiped away a few tears. "Shouldn't we value the lives and futures of the many higher than the life of one unborn demon spawn? Shouldn't we tweak the guidelines in this one case to save Small Lady and Crystal Tokyo?"

"Yeah, we should," Uranus immediately spoke up with conviction before anyone else could speak up. "I miss Small Lady—as do all of us—and we have simply come too far, have suffered and sacrificed too much to fail now. Could it even be needful to imprison or kill this Ranko Tendo to prevent a repeat? I mean, who tells us it won't happen again?"

The Moon Princess frowned, as did all Inners and Hotaru. "This is a bit extreme, don't you think?" the Senshi of the Moon commented.

"Not necessarily, Princess," Neptune said, coming to her lover's aid. "We had to make some tough decisions in the past to save this world, and we really might have no choice but to make another one if we want to prevent a repeat," she reasoned with determination shining in her eyes. "It's as Haruka said," she interlaced her fingers with that of her lover, "we've come too far to be stopped like this."

"This is a moot point," Setsuna interrupted before a full blown argument could ensue. The Senshi of Pluto ran the fingers of her right hand through her hair and focussed her red eyes on Sailor Moon. "It would not work. Ranko Tendo is a nexus of chaos—which is why I have so little info on her—and removing her from the picture would have grave consequences. No, the only course of action available to us is to capture her and force an abortion," Pluto summarised.

"Is this really the only way, Setsuna-mama?" Hotaru asked with sympathy for Ranma shining in her violet eyes.

The Inners were of the same opinion, and it was Moon who expressed said opinion. "Can't we ensure that the child won't do what leads to Crystal Tokyo's destruction? I mean, we know how it'll happen, right?"

Pluto shook her head. "No, Princess, we don't. The child will be a nexus of chaos itself, and just using the Timegates gave me a huge headache. The possible timelines have multiplied from three possibilities that would all have led up to Crystal Tokyo's emergence to billions upon billions of possibilities. None of those held Crystal Tokyo or something even remotely similar. Sorry, Princess, but the child is too great a threat. Especially after everything we have gone through to reach this point."

The other Senshi looked back at Moon, waiting for her reaction. It was most noticeable that their Princess was unusually quiet and introspective. Small Lady's loss had hit her hard, it had changed her, but to do that to another woman, to inflict such a loss upon said woman would be a tough choice to make.

The Moon Princess sighed after long moments of contemplation. "Very well. I trust your judgement in the matter, Pluto. We'll capture the girl and do what's necessary. Now move!" she commanded.

-.-

Ayame Kagote and her team had appeared on the scene at about the same time as the Senshi, however, on the other side of the forest and farther away.

They were equipped with stun weapons that would only disable but not hurt their target. Not a word was spoken, the team knew its duty as they spread out to fulfil their job. Ranma Saotome would be theirs.

-.-

The arrival of the Senshi in the area had been noticed by two teens who were standing next to a campfire as well.

"Ryoga, didcha notice that too? That energy spike?" a nervous redhead asked.

The lost boy nodded from his position to Ranma's right. "Uhuh, was hard to miss. Dunno what that was, but they seem to be strong. What are we gonna do, got any plans?"

"How 'bout we look at who they are and what they want, and if we ain't likin' it we perform the Saotome final technique. I told gramps and Shinnosuke that I might hafta leave at some point, and I wanna keep 'em outta trouble," Ranma replied, gratitude for the two men who had offered her a home for the last two months visible in her eyes.

"Works for me, Ranma. Would you still be able to fight your way out? I mean, in your condition and all…"

Ranma bristled for a moment, but she deflated just as fast. "To be honest, dunno. Have no idea what those guys want, but I doubt they're gonna consider the safety of my child if they're hostile. But I should be good enough to give 'em a few surprises," the pregnant girl smirked. "Ranma Saotome don't lose after all," she intoned as she redid her hair into a pigtail to minimise the risk of having her hair used against her.

Ryoga's grin turned wolfish and he adjusted his bandanna. "That's what I wanted to hear."

-.-

Two opposing groups with the same goal were rapidly closing in on the two martial artists, but it was the Senshi who reached them first. "Give yourself up, Ranko Tendo. I'm Sailor Moon, and we know what happened! We cannot allow that you destroy all we have worked for! In the name of love and justice, we will free you from the demon that seeks to prevent Earth's glorious future!" Moon exclaimed with her twin long streamers of blonde hair waving in the wind as she was striking a pose.

"What she said!" the others—save for Pluto—exclaimed, striking poses as well.

Sweatdrops were running down Ranma's and Ryoga's faces, and they looked at each other with weirded out expressions. "What the hell!" they yelled together, giving Sailor Moon disbelieving stares.

"Hey girlie, dunno what kinda stuff you've taken," Ranma replied snidely after she had recovered from her facevault, "but I dunno whatcha talkin' 'bout. I ain't carryin' no demon, and I ain't destroyin' whatever future."

"What she said! I thought you were super-heroines, the idols of millions, so why do you go and molest my friend?" Ryoga demanded, cracking his knuckles.

"Hunky!" Venus exclaimed immediately after giving the lost boy a once over, licking her lips.

Jupiter had stars in her eyes as well. "He looks just like my sempai!"

Michiru and Haruka bonked the boy-crazy girls on their heads while Ryoga sweatdropped. "We ain't got time for that! You two can chase boys later if you must!" the couple exclaimed in irritated unison.

"Go ahead, spoil my fun will ya," Sailor Venus whined, her lips forming a pout.

"Get to the friggin' point already! Whatcha want from me, meatball head?" Ranma demanded from the apparent leader, Moon, her hands planted on her hips, blue eyes flashing.

"How did you call me?" Sailor Moon demanded, her eyes narrowing in anger.

"I believe she called you a meatball head, meatball head," Mars snickered.

Moon laced her fellow Senshi with a burning glare and focussed on Ranma. "The foul demon clearly speaks out of you, Ranko Tendo! In the name of the Moon we shall free you!" she exclaimed, striking yet another pose.

Ranma on her part looked disbelieving, and caught Ryoga's eye. one look told her that he was as weirded out as she. Hadn't the situation been so serious she would have erupted in pails of laughter. "She could give Kuno a run for his money, and why does she keep on calling me Ranko Tendo..." the redhead muttered, shaking her head as she suppressed a shudder at the horrible thought of what horrors could occur if those two ever teamed up, "Are you finished yet?"

"We have no time for this," another voice soke up. Pluto, as Ranma noticed. "By your leave, Princess…" the Senshi of Time commented in Sailor Moon's direction, who inclined her head, "I would suggest we capture her now instead of wasting valuable time."

The Senshi of the Moon nodded. "Venus, bind her. We have to exorcise that demon spawn. Calling me meatball head… hah!"

**'Okay, that takes it to a whole new level. I better be extra cautious,'** Ranma thought grimly, her expression tense, preparing herself for the inevitable seeming fight as inconspicuously as possible. The redhead gave Ryoga a sign, and the lost boy prepared himself as well.

Venus launched her attack just as the martial artists had assumed loose stances. "Venus Love Me Chain!" she yelled, and her chains flew straight at Ranma.

The redhead waited until the last possible second before jumping high into the air, somersaulting forward. The eyes of the assembled Senshi grew wide briefly as Ranma landed a good ten metres away, but then they joined in without missing a beat.

All too soon the area was literally swamped with the Senshi's attacks—with the Senshi limiting themselves to non-lethal attack variants—and the real fight was on. Ranma and Ryoga managed to evade the first wave of attacks with relative ease simply by dodging and weaving around said attacks.

This was to equal parts due to the fact that the Senshi were not in their Super forms which they had deemed unnecessary against two normal humans and because of just how good martial artists' Ryoga and Ranma were. Underestimation went a long way in a fight, especially if one party held superior fire power and was convinced of its victory, and this fight was no exception.

Ranma simply loved nothing more than to be underestimated, for the sweeter was the look of surprise on the opponents' face when they were about to be knocked silly, or in this case, plain simply evaded with careless ease.

The Senshi exchanged unnerved looks amongst their ranks at the apparent ease with which Ranma and Ryoga were avoiding their attacks—with the exception of Pluto, who stood at the sidelines and observed the going-ons with an unreadable look on her face—until Moon demonstrated her leadership skills. "They may have avoided us the first time around, but we will succeed in driving the demon spawn that has infested you out of your body, in the name of love and justice!" she exclaimed loudly, her voice strong and commanding.

Ranma quirked an eyebrow at Ryoga as she avoided Sailor Uranus' attempts at involving her in a hand-to-hand fight as well as a Moon Spiral Heart Attack, Mercury's Shabon Spray Freezing and a Deep Submerge thrown her way. "'Demon Spawn?' What the hell are they talking about?"

"No idea, Ranma," Ryoga shrugged as he dodged his share of attacks. "And I doubt that they'll tell us, they're too hell bent on subduing you," he added sarcastically. Then he chuckled. "It's all your fault, as usual."

An amused chuckle came from the pregnant girl. "Can't help that I'm popular," she replied with her best 'butter wouldn't melt in my mouth' look while dodging a Crescent Beam Shower and the water-based attacks of Mercury and Neptune. Moon and Venus kept firing their long range attacks into the general direction of where the two martial artists were running to, further into the forest so as to make them a more difficult target. This was made easy due to the fact that the Senshi were used to blast upon mostly unmoving—or at least slow moving—Youma until they crumbled to dust. Ranma and Ryoga were neither slow nor unmoving, and the Senshi's attacks missed them by miles as they zigzagged through the forest.

"Why do we keep on avoiding their attacks and running away?" Ryoga asked with a scowl as he ran beside Ranma in an erratic pattern, not liking their current tactic one bit.

That was also the question a certain Hotaru Tomoe aka Sailor Saturn was asking herself. The devastating nature of her attacks made it a given that she were not to participate in the melee, and the quiet girl that could lay waste to a planet watched as her comrades and 'parents' tried to capture the elusive young woman known as Ranko Tendo. Her Haruka-papa had tried to engage the redhead several times in close combat, but the ease with which her papa had been avoided had spoken volumes about the redhaired woman's abilities.

'**She could have dispatched of papa easily, yet she didn't. she could also have attacked the others, and seeing her skills I don't know if they could have kept up. Should this Ranko have an energy attack or something they could have been in real trouble. So why doesn't she act offensively? What am I missing?'** Hotaru asked herself as she narrowed her violet eyes thoughtfully, a frown on her pale face.

The answer to this question was just now given to one Ryoga Hibiki. "Because I don't want to hurt them, Ryoga," Ranma replied in answer to his question. "They may be misguided, but they're well meaning from what I know. All but at least one," she added with a scowl. "I may have to fight them eventually, but not now."

"But…" Ryoga began and smashed a tree-trunk to smithereens that had been uprooted by a missed Deep Submerge. they had a lead of about half a kilometre now, and all the roofhopping they had done came in handy as they hopped from branch to branch like chimpanzees on crack.

"No buts. We gotta stay ahead of 'em until we can get away. They rely far too much on their magical attacks which makes it easy for us to avoid them. Think you can get us lost?" the Saotome girl asked with a grin as she landed on the ground, running straight towards a clearing that led to a river that'd hopefully put more of a distance between them and the Senshi. she had the theory that they could only teleport if the target was in sight, thus getting out of their sights by 'getting lost' seemed a promising course of action.

Ryoga inclined his head and chuckled as he ran beside her. "Yes. Amusing, isn't it? Now is one of the few times where that damned family curse of mine will be useful. Just a bit more forest and this river, then we should have enough of a lead so I can get us lost properly."

"Oh, but you won't get away," a voice suddenly said from their immediate right.

Both martial artists scattered just in time to avoid two Dead Screams in quick succession, the magical attacks knocking down one tree respectively.

"Pluto." Ranma cursed with gritted teeth as she dusted her clothing off, eyeing the Senshi of Time apprehensively. of all the Senshi she was the most dangerous to her child.

"You know her, Ranma?" Ryoga asked from his defensive position to the left of his friend as he surveyed the fuku-clad woman warily.

"Yes." Ranma spat. "She's behind it all. You have no idea how gladly I'd pound her into the ground, but I've to think of Senny first," she added, giving Ryoga a meaningful look, a look that communicated that he should get them lost regardless of where to.

"You'll have no chance to do either, Ranko Tendo. It is now time to end this," Pluto said coldly, and moved her staff in front of her.

Ranma looked alarmed. In a flash she had closed the distance to the lost boy. "Ryoga, get us lost now! Don't matter where we end up, just do it!" she yelled urgently.

The lost boy had never seen Ranma this panicked before, and he grabbed the redhead's hand without hesitation, emptied his mind and stepped forward. The last he saw was a swirling vortex of fuchsia coloured energy forming at the tip of Pluto's staff, then they were gone.

Ayame and her group, who had just appeared on the scene watched as astonished as the Senshi as Ranma and Ryoga simply vanished into thin air.

The agent of the Saotome Clan and her team hadn't been detected due to their equipment that blocked the scans of the Mercury computer, and they made it back into the forest without incident. Their mission had failed, but the Senshi hadn't gotten Ranma either. There would be other chances to retrieve her, and she'd protect Ranma better next time.

-.-

A group of very astonished Senshi checked the area for any signs of the two martial artists, and Ami, always the scientific one, consulted her Mercury computer to find an explanation. "This is most unusual!" she muttered as she interpreted the data. "The sensors are picking up ki-energy in massive concentration, and an unknown phenomenon. There's no trace of them anywhere though. They're gone, and I have no way of telling where they disappeared to."

The reactions to this varied. The majority of the Senshi save one was disappointed that they hadn't been able to take care of the threat. Pluto was said one, and she was trying hard not to smirk, for she had seen Ryoga's curse at work many times before, even if not firsthand.

There was a good chance that they'd end up at the Tendo Dojo, one of Ryoga's anchor points. Yes, this had gone over well, and the situation might even resolve itself today. And as usual, it couldn't be traced back to her.

"If we're done here I'll teleport back. Got to get back to that handsome boy…" Makoto said with a suggestive smirk.

"D'oh, she'll never change!" Moon sighed.

"Nope, never!" Makoto exclaimed with a grin and teleported away.

"Princess, our usefulness here has expired, and we should return to our homes. I'll be at the Timegates to watch for traces of Ranko Tendo, and I suggest you," she waved her left hand at the group, "rest and be prepared." Pluto said. **'I'm pretty certain I won't be able to track Saotome for the longest time, he's bound to be cautious now. But his father and the other idiot will do my work for sure,'** she added as a thought.

"Umm, okay. Who's up for a midnight snack?" Moon asked.

"You and your stomach…" Mars shook her head. "Is that placeholder between your ears ever thinking about something other than food?"

"Stop being so mean, Rei!" Usagi cried. "Or I won't return the manga I still hold captive from you!"

The Outers soon excused themselves as the quarrel degenerated into a shouting match until Mercury and Jupiter grew fed up and dragged their fellow Senshi with them and teleported away.

-.-

Ranma was feeling very weird. It felt akin to the times when she had suffered from morning sickness, just not to that extent. The cause of this feeling was the unusual way of transportation or whatever one wanted to call Ryoga's mode of involuntary travel. then, as soon as it had begun the queasiness left her, and the redhead dared to open her eyes again.

Acting on instinct she threw up her Umi and expanded her ki to cover the two of them. wherever they had ended up, who said either the Senshi or her clan weren't there, waiting for them? Shielded from view Ranma looked around, and her Umi guttered out from shock, her eyes going impossibly wide when she recognised the area they were in.

Her eyes took in the scenery as she stood on the shore of a lake, a lake she had seen once before in her life, several years ago, and Ranma marvelled at the mountain range in front of them she knew to be the Grand Tetons and shook her head in wonder. "How can this be?"

She rubbed her eyes, eyes that were still wide with shock as she stared at Jenny Lake in the Teton National Park. she knew that this National Park was located in the US—western Wyoming if memory served right—where her father and she had stopped to train in their foray through the US national parks, but she knew that that just wasn't possible as they had just left Ryugenzawa, Japan.

She glanced at the sun that was obviously just about to rise, the ambient temperature being about twenty degrees Celsius at her estimation—which was normal for late July—and reconsidered that just maybe it was true after all. This really was the Grand Teton National Park in the United States, this mountain range, this lake and the surrounding forest she'd recognise any day.

"How can this be?" Ranma muttered yet again in obvious wonder as she waved her right arm at the scenery while she absently stroked her belly with her left hand. "How can we be in Wyoming?"

"Wyoming? As in the United States?" Ryoga inquired confused, "Isn't this one of the parks outside of Okinawa?"

A startled Ranma glanced into Ryoga's serious face that was devoid of any humour, and realised that he wasn't having her on. The absurdness of the situation was just now beginning to trickle in, and Ranma resisted the urge to slap her forehead. she had said he should get them lost regardless where to, but she'd never have expected that Ryoga could get them truly this lost. It was just so very improbable that she couldn't help herself, she burst out into fits of giggles.

Ryoga bristled and was about to demand whom or what she was laughing about, but remembered that this was a pregnant woman and not the Ranma he knew. having not the foggiest if behaviour like this was normal he settled on an annoyed look with his arms crossed across his chest and waited until the redhead had recovered.

"Only me, I swear," the redhead in question panted with her hands on her thighs, slightly hunched over.

Ranma slowly straightened herself up a minute later and turned her eyes away from the amazing landscape and faced the Hibiki. "I had no idea you'd get us this lost, Ryoga, but good that you did. They won't find us here, and they can't get a lock on us as long as Senny doesn't tap her powers. thanks, you saved our hides."

Ryoga carefully hid his surprise. "You're welcome. And this... This really isn't Okinawa?"

Ranma giggled and smiled. "No, silly. This is Wyoming, the Grand Teton National Park to be exact, and yeah, I'm certain. I have been here six years ago after all. Hmm, we 'left' Japan at about two a.m., this region of the States is about sixteen hours behind. That means,"

"It's seven in the morning," Ryoga and Ranma concluded at the same time.

"Yeah," Ranma mused with a frown. "It's dead at night in Japan, it wouldn't make any sense to try to get there now. It would be too suspicious."

Ryoga nodded his assent, and his eyes narrowed in thought. "Maybe we should set up camp here to get some rest. Five to six hours should be good, then we can try to get back to Japan."

Ranma nodded with a grin, camping was something she hadn't done in a long time and she'd love to have a chance to do it again. Then a thought hit her and she said, "I don't have any camping gear."

The Hibiki youth cleared his throat and pointed at his backpack, "Don't worry, you can use my stuff. What, why the surprised look? Didn't expect me to share? Come on, Ranma. You're pregnant, and to be honest, much less of a jerk."

The redhead decided to file away this comment as a compliment seeing as she was much too tired to invest the energy necessary to be angry. "Come, I'll lead us to where pops 'n' me camped all those years ago, no one will stumble on us there."

Ryoga nodded his assent. If Ranma really knew her way around here it was the prudent course of action to trust her. "Lead the way, Ranma."

"Oh no," the redhead said with a shake of her head that made her hair move counter to the motion and grabbed his hand, "I have seen where you can take us, and I don't intend to be lost here by myself. I'm not really in the shape to redo the training trip, so I won't let you out of my sight."

Ryoga—who had started to bristle because Ranma had taken his hand until he had remembered that this wasn't the 'normal' Ranma—resigned himself to his fate. "Got it. Would you lead the way now?"

The redhead giggled at his impatient and grumpy tone and began leading them into the woods. After about half an hour of hiking off the normal tracks they finally reached the spot Ranma had had in mind, a heavily forested area between the Hidden falls and Teewinot Mountain.

The martial artists found a suitable spot far away from the main hiking routes and Ranma sat down on the trunk of an uprooted tree. Ryoga threw her a water bottle from his backpack and the redhead caught it with a thankful smile. She knew she needed to drink a lot—she had explained the reasons why to Ryoga who had then immediately insisted she take as much as she wanted—and had done so during their hike with her co-traveller's 'friendly assistance'.

Now she was gulping down yet more water—which would inevitably lead to her having to follow nature's call even more often than usual—and watched as Ryoga swiftly began to empty his backpack.

The pregnant young woman watched in impressed silence how the lost boy began to set up camp with an ease that stemmed from years of practise, and a slightly worn but still sturdy looking four man tent was the result of his efforts not three minutes later. Ryoga gave his work a pleased once over, a grin playing on his face. "It's done, ma'am," he said with a cheeky grin.

"I should sock you a good one for your cheek, but I'm way too tired and Senny is giving me hell," the redhead muttered, yawning widely. She threw him the still quarter filled bottle and Ryoga caught it with one hand, giving it an inspection before gulping down the remaining water.

Ranma snorted upon his satisfied nod. "You're turning into a mother hen, you know that?" she teased.

"So? Someone has to ensure you don't botch up, Ranma," Ryoga teased back. "Now let's catch some sleep, you can use my sleeping bag, I'll use the spare."

Ranma yawned again and rubbed her belly in an effort to nudge Senny to assume a more comfortable position. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

Ryoga chuckled as he watched the redhead disappear into the tent. "I like her better this way. Wonder if there's some way to prolong a pregnancy," he wryly mused and followed Ranma into the tent.

The pregnant girl was already sound asleep and softly snoring with her mouth hanging slightly open when Ryoga entered the tent, and he marvelled at the changes Ranma had undergone, been forced to undergo. Yes, Ranma Saotome's life was officially more of a hell than his, but he'd try to help ensure that their lives wouldn't turn into a frozen hell.

-.-

**Nine hours later**

Shielded from view two martial artists—who had been trying to get back to Japan for three hours now—began looking around, and their eyes widened in unison when they finally recognised familiar surroundings. "Let's get inside, Ryoga. But quietly!" she whispered.

The lost boy nodded from his position beside her, and the duo moved stealthily from the garden towards the house. Chance seemed to favour them for a change, for just as they were about to risk opening the door which might have exposed them the door was opened from the inside and a familiar person clad in a black mini skirt and beige tank top stepped out. Seizing the chance Ranma and Ryoga slipped inside.

"Nabiki!" Ranma whispered, and she saw the middle Tendo girl's eyes go wide for a moment. "Pretend you're stretching, then return back inside after a minute or so. We'll be waiting for you in your room."

A recovered and very curious Nabiki nodded imperceptibly and did as Ranma had suggested, her thoughts being that things were likely taking a change for the weird with Ranma back.

-.-

The two cloaked martial artists had made it to Nabiki's room without incident, which was not lest due to the fact that Ranma knew exactly which floorboards to avoid.

Ranma and Ryoga had made themselves at home on Nabiki's bed, and both anticipated the middle Tendo daughter's arrival impatiently.

With really nothing to do the two remained alert, and their keen senses picked up on a conversation between Nabiki and Kasumi from downstairs.

"Are the fathers still not back from their pub crawl, sis?" Nabiki asked, her voice holding a derisive undercurrent to it.

"Unfortunately. Their… habit is slowly but surely getting out of control, and I fear we will be the ones paying for their… failings," Kasumi replied in a disappointed tone.

"You are right, sis. I'll talk to them as soon as they're back and halfway sober. This can't go on. I don't accept that none of us will be able to go to university just because the fathers," Nabiki laced the term with sarcasm, "are hell bent on becoming the drunkards of the year."

"The wording might be a bit harsher than I'd have phrased it, but you're right. I'm sorry that you have to be the one to talk sense into them, but they would never listen to me," Kasumi said with a deep sigh, and Ranma and Ryoga could hear the sadness in her voice. "I have to buy groceries while our money is still sufficient, Nabiki. Breakfast is on the table, and Akane will be back in a few, she's gone jogging."

"Okay. I'll come up with a plan on how to pound some sense into the fathers. Until later, Kasumi." Nabiki said, and Ranma and Ryoga could hear her footsteps on the stairs.

Looks were exchanged between the teens. "Am gonna rip pops a new one if he's really wasting all the Tendos' money on fuckin' drinks," Ranma growled.

"I'll help." Ryoga promised darkly.

"With what?" a curious voice asked from the door.

"Wringin' the necks of the stupid fathers!" Ranma growled viciously. "And Ryoga is gonna help."

"Err, hi, Nabiki-san," Ryoga raised his right hand in greeting.

Nabiki's attention was completely focussed on the redhead on her bed, and she nodded at Ryoga in a distracted way.

The redhead that occupied her bed looked oddly changed, although Nabiki couldn't pinpoint in what way. "You said you'd be on a year long training trip with your relatives. So what brings you here? And I can already tell I smell a very juicy story here." the middle Tendo daughter said, sat down in her office chair and lent back with steepled fingers.

"You can say that again…" Ryoga muttered, and received a bop to the head from the redhead for his comment.

"Hey!" Ryoga protested, rubbing the sore spot on his head.

Ranma simply smirked in reply. "Women in my situation get freebies, you said so yourself. Now live with it."

Ryoga grumbled something that sounded like "No fair," in reply and lent back against the bed-frame with a mock-scowl.

The redhead smiled mock-sweetly at Ryoga and then turned her head to look at Nabiki who had watched them with growing incredulity, and Ranma's look turned hopeful for some reason. "Err, Nabiki, is there any chance I could get sumthin' to eat? I'm really starvin' here!"

Nabiki stared at Ranma for a few moments, shook her head in mirth and began to chuckle. "Some things never change. We have some leftovers from breakfast, my breakfast, in fact. You know…

"… your way around here," she said to the empty space where Ranma had stood seconds before.

Ryoga chuckled. "That's so typical Ranma."

"Indeed, Hibiki. So what happened to Saotome? He'd never call himself a woman," she mused, now very thoughtful. "So whatever happened, it is serious, isn't it. Is he locked again?"

"Let her tell the story, Nabiki-san. It's not my place to say," Ryoga replied and crossed his arms across his chest which conveyed the message that he wouldn't divulge information at all.

Nabiki shot him a look that communicated her displeasure. "Fine, be that way. Come then, it's time to grill her. I want to hear about the newest insanity in Saotomes life." she replied, got to her feet and walked out of her room.

The lost boy shrugged and followed the Ice Queen of Furinkan High.

-.-

Little later three teenagers were seated around the living room table. Ranma had claimed the cushion at the head of the table prior to Ryoga and Nabiki joining her—the sliding door to her right—and Ryoga and Nabiki had chosen the seats to the redhead's sides. Ryoga kept his stoic silence, and the middle Tendo sibling was impatiently waiting for Ranma to finish her breakfast. Engaging in small talk in hopes to get the tight-lipped Ryoga to spill the beans had achieved naught, and reading a manga when one couldn't properly concentrate on the contents was hardly fulfilling.

"Ahh, that was good!" Ranma finally exclaimed with a content sigh, rubbing her belly carefully before undoing her pigtail. Then she shook her head repeatedly, which made her hair move counter to the motion. "That's better," she muttered with a content sigh, having long since gotten used to wearing her hair open outside of fights. Wearing it in a pigtail or even a ponytail felt icky for some reason, and she had long since filed it away as one of the oddities of a pregnancy.

That action in and on itself caused alarms to go off in Nabiki's mind, and her brows climbed into the hairline. Normally Ranma wouldn't be caught dead acting so feminine, and that he did unsettled her. "What the hell happened to you, Saotome? Are you locked again? Spill!"

Ranma fidgeted in her seat and played with her hair. "Err… You could say that. But that's just part of the story," she hurried to say when Nabiki slapped her forehead. "First off, I gotta say that you were damn right, as usual. Stupid trustin' me ignored your warning and ran righto into a trap."

Nabiki sighed and had an 'I told you so'-look on her face. "Figures. Your relatives were a bit too eager to convince you that meeting them was a chance you couldn't pass up, and their request that you be a girl for it set me on edge from the very start. So what did they do to you?" she inquired, making an effort to keep her voice even.

"Something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy!" Ryoga growled heatedly before Ranma could reply. "Should I ever encounter that bastard of a grandfather of hers I'm gonna grind him into paste!" he vowed, moving his hands as if crushing someone to a pulp.

"So it's bad," Nabiki mused, putting her hand to her mouth. "How bad?"

"Very on one hand, but not at all on the other," Ranma replied cryptically.

"Now that was very informative, Saotome," Nabiki grumbled.

Ranma giggled, which set Nabiki even more on edge. "Wasn't it?" she asked innocently. "Okay, you want me to spill?" the redhead inquired with a mischievous look on her face.

"Oh, you just have to make her angry to spill the beans," Ryoga grinned. "Worked for me."

"Did it now?" Nabiki pondered, a small smirk slowly spreading on her face.

"Ryoga," Ranma grumbled.

"Yeah?" the lost boy in question inquired innocently.

"Shut up," the redhead finished, giving him a lidded stare.

That byplay between the two rivals—or was it _former_ rivals?—and the fact that Ryoga limited himself to a smirk instead of an angry retort told Nabiki a lot. Something very serious had to have happened that it had even changed the dynamics between Ranma and Ryoga, and she was dying to find out what. "Spill already, Saotome," she uttered in a tone that would have sounded pleading, had Nabiki known how to plead.

Ranma's eyes sparkled. "10,000 Yen!" she exclaimed, holding her right hand out.

"..." was all Nabiki managed, her mouth hanging open in surprise.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," the Saotome teen replied and grinned like a Cheshire cat.

Nabiki chuckled and shook her head in amusement. "I guess I deserved that. So, what did happen to you?"

All humour faded from Ranma's face and her eyes clouded. "Nabiki, you must promise that you ain't tellin' anyone what I'm gonna tell you. Especially no selling the information. You must swear on your honour."

Ryoga looked the mercenary girl dead in the eyes, and Nabiki noticed that his former shyness around girls was gone. Whatever had happened, it had also quite obviously matured the lost boy. Intriguing. "Please do it, Nabiki-san. Ranma is facing overwhelming odds here, and no one deserves what he… what she has gone through. No one," he emphasised.

**'She?'** Nabiki thought. **'First he called Ranma 'he', then he corrected himself and called him 'she'. Plus, he seems to have forgiven Ranma and seems to actively support him. Could it be… oh my Kami-sama!'**

When all colour drained from her face Ranma could tell that Nabiki had somehow figured out what had happened to her. "You were raped?" Nabiki whispered, her face pale.

The redhead shook her head. "Not directly, at least. But yeah, I'm pregnant. The macho, loudmouthed jerk Ranma Saotome, manly martial artist all around is pregnant. Funny, eh?" she said with sarcasm.

Akane, who had just come to a stop a few metres away from the open sliding door clad in sportswear that clung tightly to her shapely body, had only heard the last few words Ranma had spoken. She looked at the redhead with growing fury. "You!" she yelled making everyone's head whip to her, "You dare return here after proving that you are indeed the pervert I always claimed you are? You dare return here after impregnating some girl? Which one is it? Shampoo? Ukyo? Kodachi? Or yet another fiancée? PERVERT!" she growled, but one could also hear hints of disappointment and sadness amongst the anger.

Ranma met the smouldering gaze of her ex-fiancée calmly. "Nice to see you as well, Akane. But I was just talking to your sister, and it would be impolite of me to leave her question unanswered," she casually replied and ignored Akane's fuming as she turned her head back to the flabbergasted older Tendo sibling—Akane's legendary fury would likely snuff out courtesy of her next comment anyway. "Where was I? Oh yes, I remember. No, Nabiki, I wasn't raped. But the result is the same still. I am pregnant."

A loud thump could be heard from behind them, and three heads turned around to discern the source. "W-What? How?" Akane exclaimed from the ground, a look of stark disbelief on her face, "That's impossible!"

Nabiki closed her eyes and rubbed her temples as if trying to fend off a gigantic headache. "While little sis' semantic left a lot to be desired she did ask the million yen questions," she commented dryly. "So what did happen, Saotome?"

Akane pushed herself to her feet and made move to grill Ranma with an angry expression on her face, but a commanding voice stopped her cold. "That will be enough, Akane." Nabiki scolded in a calm voice, her face devoid of emotions. "We have virtually no facts, just the information that Ranma is pregnant—or rather her statement that it is so, which Ryoga indirectly confirmed. It's not prudent to jump to conclusions how this condition came about. the practical solution would be to listen to Ranma's account."

"B-But," Akane sputtered, disbelief written on her face that her sister would stop her from questioning the redhead. She wanted to know if it was true _now_, wanted to know if her ex-fiancé for whom she still had feelings was indeed pregnant, and if that were the case from whom.

"Akane-san," Ryoga began as he got up from his low cushion and stepped towards the baffled and angry girl, "Please calm down. Ranma has not done anything perverted or untoward, I can vouch for her."

Seeing Ryoga defend Ranma and calling the gender-changing martial artist 'her' stopped Akane cold and made her very apprehensive. "W-What? Why are you defending Ranma, Ryoga-kun?"

Ranma surveyed her ex-fiancée from her spot and shook her head in a sad way when her mood suddenly changed. "She ain't seen me for months, and the first thing she does upon seeing me is jumping to conclusions from titbits of information she overheard 'cause of which she's about to strangle me," she said and looked at the ground.

"And here I thought something had changed in the six months after our break-up. But some things obviously never change." she added sadly before Akane could say anything, and she looked the other girl straight into the eyes with a genuinely sad expression and absently rubbed her belly.

Akane's head swivelled towards the redhead and the cobalt-haired girl bristled, falling back into well known behavioural patterns. "Why would I have to change, you…" she began.

A bored voice interrupted her. "We have heard it all before, so be quiet and sit down, little sister. You know nothing about the backgrounds—and neither do I—so sit and listen." she commanded in a voice that communicated that she wanted to have all relevant information as soon as possible—preferably yesterday.

The youngest Tendo girl snapped her mouth shut and did as she had been told in face of her middle sister who obviously meant business, taking the place next to Ryoga's cushion with a disgruntled "Hmmmph."

Ranma looked at Nabiki with an intrigued expression. "Not that I mind, but why did you intervene on my behalf? Akane and me had thousands of quarrels, but you never intervened, not in my favour, at least." she said with a wry smile.

"When you two were affianced it was none of my business what you were quarrelling about as long as it didn't grate on my nerves too much," Nabiki replied with a shrug. "Now you are no longer affianced and things have changed. There is no engagement between the two of you that could explain why you—an apparently pregnant woman—ended up with a head injury. And I doubt your marital status will change with you being pregnant, Ranma. Or is there a father to consider?"

Akane watched Ranma like a hawk without trying to look it, and she, like the others was witness as the redhead slowly shook her head in apparent disgust. "A father? Don't be obscene. And be glad my morning sickness is over," she replied with a green face.

"But you're right, I am not interested in a relationship—with anyone. I'll have my hands full with being a single mother, and I simply have no interest in the stress a relationship would bring," the redhead added.

"Stress?" Akane interjected sarcastically. "Who created the most stress around here?"

Ranma looked her ex-fiancée in her brown eyes and smiled self-ironically, much to the larger girl's consternation. "That would have been me," she admitted. "But things change, they have changed, and I have no interest to expose my daughter to how things were. I don't say it's your fault, Akane, but I simply don't want a relationship—with anyone.

"So," she looked at Nabiki with a curious expression and did her best to ignore Akane's hurt look, "how much will it cost me that you intervened on my behalf?"

The middle Tendo sister smirked. "Maybe the 10,000 Yen you mentioned," she jested. "But now to matters at hand… I want to know all the facts, Ranma, which is another reason I stopped little sis. A needless quarrel between you two would have been way too time consuming. And by the way, you have my promise. I swear on my honour to not divulge anything you have told and will tell me."

Ranma carefully hid her surprise that Nabiki had actually given her her word of honour without demanding something in return behind a neutral mask. "Okay," she managed, a hint of the thankfulness she felt visible in her blue eyes. Her face suddenly changed into a mask of seriousness as she sorted her thoughts. "So you want the full story, and you want it now… very well. The audience seems to be complete, so…"

"Hello, I'm back!" Kasumi exclaimed as she appeared in the entrance door. she was clad in a beautiful yellow sundress that reached down to her shanks and was stunning as ever, her arms laden with shopping bags. "Oh, we have guests… Ranma!"

The Saotome girl moved as fast as her pregnant form allowed and was just in time to catch the falling shopping bags that had fallen from Kasumi's numb fingers. "You should be more careful with those, Kasumi-oneechan," she smiled as she held the bags in her hands, peering into them before placing them onto the ground. "Especially considering that this yummy Rocky Road ice cream could have gone to waste, and that would have been a shame."

"O-Oneechan?" a surprised and secretly pleased Kasumi asked, and the oldest Tendo sibling totally forgot the reason why she had dropped the groceries—the appearance of an oddly changed Ranma.

"Yeah. That's how I see you, and have for quite a while now. If I had an older sister she'd be just like you," Ranma replied with a smile that reached her eyes, making them sparkle.

Akane looked at Ryoga while Kasumi and Ranma shared a hug. "What has happened to Ranma, Ryoga-kun? Is he really pregnant, and if he is, how, why and when did it happen?"

Ryoga sighed. "It is as Ranma said, Akane-san. He… She is really pregnant. But I can tell you one thing, it's not her fault."

The second time this day Akane had been steamrolled by Ryoga's behaviour. "It… It is true? But why… why are you defending him then? Doesn't it prove that he's a pervert? And I thought you hated that jerk and what he did to me. All the girls hanging from his arms, always new fiancées… What has changed, Ryoga-kun?" she asked in a tone that communicated she wanted to understand while Kasumi and Ranma were chattering.

The lost boy sighed. "I always claimed that I had seen hell 'cause of Ranma's deeds. Well, I ain't seen half of the hell that Ranma's been through lately," he said in such a serious tone that it made the hairs on the back of Akane's neck stand up. "It's bad, very bad, but she is not to blame. Please keep that in mind when she tells you what has happened to her."

"'Bad'? What has happened to Ranma? Is he _really_ pregnant?" Akane asked with an evident hint of worry in her voice.

"We'll come to that, Akane," Ranma's voice commented from behind them. The redhead had just brought Kasumi up to speed as to why Ryoga and she were at the Tendo dojo, and was now ready to tell her story, but first she wanted to see if she could get her hands on some of the yummy Rocky Road ice cream she had got a glimpse upon. "Let me help to carry the groceries into the kitchen and I will tell you, 'kay?"

Akane nodded dumbly and watched as her ex-fiancé carried the groceries into the kitchen, Kasumi following. In watching him… her more closely for the first time she noticed that several physical changes had happened to Ranma.

One could indeed see the hint of a belly—which couldn't just stem from the consumption of too much food, not with Ranma's metabolism—and the redhead's hips seemed to be… wider while her waist was practically non-existent. The redhead seemed to be a good deal bigger in the chest area as well, that, and she seemed to have grown a few inches, making her nearly as tall as she herself.

The youngest Tendo sibling's brow furrowed in thought. **'What the hell has happened that could be so bad that Ryoga would become Ranma's friend? Is he... she really pregnant? Is that why Ranma looks so changed and acts so differently? Could it be?'** she pondered.

The subject of her ponderings and Kasumi returned from the kitchen a few minutes later, the latter wearing a pleased expression that suggested she had gotten her ice cream, and both were carrying assorted tea equipment. The redhead balanced a trayful of cookies in one hand while Kasumi carried a large teapot, and the girls placed their respective nourishments onto the low living room table.

Between the two of them the table was set in no time, and not a minute later everyone was enjoying tea and cookies. Ranma—who had retaken her cushion—nibbled a cookie and took a deep breath when the small home-baked treat had fallen prey to her sweet tooth. Then she launched herself into the emotional and troubling story of what had happened to her in these past months since she had left the dojo…

-.-

Incidentally two ageing martial arts masters had just returned to the house when Ranma had begun her tale, and even though neither had heard Ranma's voice in quite some time they recognised it right away as it carried through the open sliding door.

Genma moved a finger to his mouth and cloaked himself with the Umi. Soun understood and hid his ki as well as himself in the shadows behind the property wall while his old friend moved closer to the living room.

Seconds later Genma had huddled against the wall, his senses trained on every word the boy said, and the balding man grew progressively paler throughout the story, and his horror grew. **'Those bastards! They brainwashed the boy, he'd never go through with something like that! I've heard enough, I hafta fetch Tendo, and then we gotta make good on our plan!'** he thought furiously.

The father of Ranma moved stealthily over the compound in search for Soun and found his friend hiding behind the property wall. Genma jumped over the wall in one swift move that belittled his mass and landed completely soundlessly beside Soun, and dropped his invisibility. "Tendo," he whispered, and Soun's head whipped towards him, "It's true. I heard it from the boy himself. The boy... he is pregnant. Everything Agent Meiou said is true."

Soun had tears streaming down his face. "The boy... The poor boy! He's really carrying Satan's spawn... But what do we do, Saotome? What can we do to help him?"

"We'll do what the Agent suggested. Spike Ranma's food with the potion," Genma replied with determination in his voice. "We only gotta convince Kasumi to make some soup, and it will be without risk, Tendo."

Soun inclined his head, the tears miraculously gone. "It seems we have no other choice, Saotome. I'll distract Kasumi once the food is prepared so that you can spike the food. It has to be done."

"I caught a glimpse upon the boy, Tendo. He seemed to glow, seemed to enjoy this... unnaturalness," he scoffed, his face twisting in revulsion. "The Agent was right, he is under some devilish spell that has altered his mind, that forces him to endure it. My son would never carry a baby. Armageddon would come knocking at the door before that ever happened!"

Soun nodded grimly. "You are right, Saotome. We'll make it so. Hopefully we'll be able to save Ranma's soul."

Genma's face was solemn. "It's a father's duty to look out for his children. Now I'll hopefully be able to make up for my mistakes."

The two men embraced briefly, clapped the other on the shoulder and readied themselves to carry out their plan.

-.-

The reactions to Ranma's story—which had included everything that had happened to her up till now, including why she, a born boy had finally gotten used to being pregnant—varied. They ranged from shock to disbelief and everything in between.

"They really asked that of you, Sao… Ranma?" Nabiki inquired, a carefully neutral expression on her face.

"They did," Ranma confirmed, wearing a neutral expression of her own. "Hadn't they been so stupid about it I might even have done it of my own free will instead of them leaving me no choice. You know," she chuckled dryly, "what happened was just par for the course for my life, but hadn't I faced this challenge we all might have been doomed. I saw that friggin' asteroid… and it's huge. If it's just my little girl that stands a chance to do something about that big rock then I'll gladly pay the price to save my precious people."

"Precious people?" Nabiki inquired, her eyes showing interest.

Ranma smiled. "Yeah. You three, Ryoga here, Pops despite his faults, even Mom and grandma," she added with a slight scowl, "Your father, Ukyo and Konatsu. Heck, I even view the Amazons and the old freak as worth saving. But I couldn't stand the thought to lose any of you, and I had to act," she finished with emotions shining in her eyes.

The redhead's spilling of her heart left nobody untouched. Respect, feelings of friendship and a common bond towards Ranma—who was going through this pregnancy partially for them as well—bubbled up in each of them, and the young Saotome's motives for doing what she had done were understood in their entirety.

"You… You are really pregnant, Ranma, eh? How far along are you?" Kasumi asked softly, tracing the other young woman's figure with her eyes.

Akane and Nabiki, who had been about to ask further questions themselves looked at the redhead with interest.

"Five months now, Kasumi—or more precisely, nineteen weeks," Ranma replied and softly stroked her belly.

"And why has your vocabulary improved this much, Ranma?" Akane wanted to know. "I mean, we all know that you were not the best with words, and that's understated."

Ranma's head swivelled to her ex-fiancé, and she dealt the cobalt-haired girl a neutral stare. "Someone deemed my vocabulary unacceptable for a descendant of the Serenity line and decided to intervene."

"Your family?" Nabiki inquired.

"Yes," the redhead replied with a look as if she'd just bitten into an extremely sour lemon. "They put me through an intensive course, but I didn't show that my language had improved to spite them, but their lessons stuck.

"And li'l Senny convinced me to use big words outside of prospective fights, and I can't refuse my li'l girl anything," she added with a wry smile.

"How does being pregnant feel? What is it like?" Kasumi inquired next, curiosity shining in her brown eyes.

A contemplative look appeared on Ranma's face. "Hard to describe. Strange and trying, but also very nice at the same time. The first three months were hell, plain and simple. Morning and evening sickness, tiredness and whatnot, but it got better as soon as I came into the twelfth to thirteenth week."

Ranma's face gained an introspective look, and the corners of her mouth turned upwards as a small smile spread on her face, her audience watching her spellbound. "You know, you can feel that there's a new life growing in you, and you can't stop to feel awed. I feel it every time she grows, y'know, it's like your innards are stretching—which they are—" she added with a wry grin, "you feel the little tyke in you and you know, yeah, that's my kid.

"She can be one heckuva pain in the neck—and other body parts, really—waking me up at odd times in the middle of the night, and I don't exaggerate when I say the first three months were some of the most trying in my life," she admitted with a grimace. "But I experienced one of the biggest rewards in the sixteenth week of my pregnancy. A reward, but at the same time another pain in the neck..."

"Yes?" all three Tendo sisters—even Akane, who was giving Ranma the benefit of the doubt for now—urged. Ryoga had captured the tray of cookies and listened with one ear while munching away on the cookies, he knew most of it anyway.

"The sixteenth week... That was when I felt her for the first time," Ranma said with a serene smile. "I was lying in bed when suddenly I felt something in my belly. I thought my bowels had gone crazy, but it happened again a few minutes later, and bowels normally don't kick to the outside."

That elicited chuckles. "Wow," was all Akane and Nabiki could think to say.

Kasumi's brows had furrowed in thought. "The sixteenth week... That's rather early, Ranma-chan. But I believe it is because you didn't have an ounce of fat on you."

Ranma sighed wistfully. "Oh yeah, those were the days. My belly was all flat 'n' and most of all quiet... All gone, all gone. But I wouldn't trade this for anything in the world," the redhead contently sighed, rubbing her belly.

Kasumi smiled. "I'd never have thought to hear those words out of you, imoutochan. But given the circumstances and all the hormones and changes in your body and mind it's perfectly understandable. Hmm, the medical explanation as to why you were able to feel her this early would probably be that your adipose tissue was practically non-existent. You are simply too lank, Ranma-chan."

"Makes sense," Ranma mused, absently playing with her long hair with her right index finger while her left hand had slipped under the black hoodie sweater she was wearing. "Woulda never thought that I'd ever be a mother, heaven help," she chuckled, "but now it has happened, and I'm gonna be that little girl's mom. Dunno why, but it feels… right. But am I ever glad that those changes you mentioned are reversible, Kasumi. If anything I wanna be half and half. I'll be her daddy just as much as her mommy," she added with a smile.

Akane didn't know how to react. the story was just crazy enough to be the truth, and she believed her ex-fiancé. Ryoga had been right, it hadn't been Ranma's fault, so she was no pervert. She didn't know on the other hand if she should feel jealous that Ranma, a boy-turned-girl and self-proclaimed manly martial artist was experiencing what it was like to be pregnant, or if she should be relieved that it wasn't her who had a bun in the oven.

She settled for relief in the end when she considered their ages. "I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions, Ranma," she managed.

Ranma just favoured her ex-fiancée with a stare that served to communicate her displeasure. "The completely wrong conclusions, Akane."

A long-suffering sigh rolled off the lips of the youngest Tendo sister. "I know, Ranma. It's just... I'm so used to expect the worst of you that it became a reflex. I know it's no excuse, but Kuno gave me a hard time ever since his 'pigtailed goddess' had disappeared, and when I thought you'd done something perverted before coming back, especially getting one of the other girls pregnant... I just snapped. Sorry."

The stare didn't waver in the slightest, and it became obvious that Akane wouldn't get off the hook easily. "Akane, we haven't seen each other in six months. Prior to that you broke off the engagement—for good, as you said. So why did you fly off the handle when you suspected I'd done something perverted. I, who I am not your fiancé any more?"

Akane squirmed in her seat, and finally she sighed. "I don't know. Maybe... Maybe I hoped that there was still hope for us... I mean... You know what I mean."

It was Ranma's turn to sigh. "You still can't admit it, Akane."

"Can't admit what?" the girl with the cobalt-blue hair asked, her face getting red.

Ranma rolled her eyes. "That you like me."

The redhead held her hands up to forestall any denials. "It's okay, Akane. Really. I had a lot of time to think, and came to the conclusion that the two of us wouldn't have worked out anyway."

Akane bristled. "If it wouldn't have worked out then because of you, you insensitive macho jerk!" she exclaimed, her anger getting the better of her.

"Maybe," Ranma conceded with a self-ironic smile, and her answer threw not just Akane for a loop. "You see, I realised that I'd been exactly what you always accused me of, at least partially. I was loud-mouthed and brass, a macho and all that-"

"You have grown up, Ranma." Nabiki interrupted thoughtfully, her right thumb and index finger stroking her chin. "Six months ago you'd never have admitted your own shortcomings."

"Being pregnant kinda changes your perspective, Nabiki." Ranma replied with an ironic smile. "But that what would have destroyed our eventual marriage, Akane, was the lack of trust in our relationship.

"Don't look at me like that, Akane. You always accused me of doing something 'perverted' with the other girls, but nothing ever happened, and not from lack of trying on their parts. Yet you always accused me of perversities, didn't believe me capable of staying true to you. In short, you didn't trust me."

"She's got a point there, sis." Nabiki mused thoughtfully. "Ranma was never unfaithful to you, even though the situations she placed herself in and her rather severe case of foot-in-mouth often made it seem so. I can vouch for that."

"I appreciate the vote of confidence, Nabiki." Ranma replied with an inclination of her head and a smile, and her head turned towards Akane. "Trust, Akane. It's what was missing, and now it's too late. I loved you once, but now I cannot offer you more than friendship."

Akane swallowed hard. "Is it because of the baby?"

"Partially," Ranma admitted. "But the gist of things is, I don't want to be in a relationship at the moment. I have been chased, drugged, poisoned and Kami knows what, and I need a break. I'll concentrate on my little girl and the things we have to do, everything else will come, eventually."

Akane sighed and blinked a few tears away, but she had heard the finality in Ranma's voice. she couldn't blame Ranma, for she, Akane Tendo, had ended the engagement a good six months ago herself, which meant it was her own fault that her chances of a marriage to Ranma had been squandered. if only she had done things differently. If only...

"Don't dwell on what ifs, Akane. It's in the past, and it's not your fault what happened. We were both too young, too immature and insecure. Heck, we still are," Ranma smiled.

Akane chuckled wryly, the chuckle being a mixture of a sob and a laugh. "Just speak for yourself, Ranma," she managed in an attempt of humour.

Then, a heartbeat later Akane got up from her seat and slowly walked towards the other girl. "Hi, I'm Akane Tendo," she said in a slightly quavering voice as she stood to Ranma's left, "wanna be friends?"

Ranma got out of her cushion as well, a warm smile on her face. "I'm Ranma Saotome," she said, standing in front of Akane with eyes shining because of the tears in them, "And I'd like that very much."

Seconds later the two girls carefully embraced, big smiles on their faces. "If I can't be your fiancée I'll try my best to be your friend." Akane said with a smile on her face, and chuckled. "But something like that can only happen to you, baaaka."

Ranma slowly turned her head up to her ex-fiancée—who was still a few inches taller—and her frown changed into a smile upon seeing Akane's grinning face. "Yeah, s'pose so. I know I'm way too forgiving for my own good, but thanks for not callin' me a pervert or nothin' now that you know my story, Akane. I 'preciate it."

"You are welcome, Ranma. I now know why you did it, and I know that you'd never have done it just to be a mother. Never. But I don't know if I'd been strong enough to make that decision had I been in your stead," Akane mused.

Ryoga, who had watched the going ons in silence, chuckled. "Yeah, that's what I said as well. Takes a lot of balls, even though she has none at the moment," he said with a snicker.

"If you like yours intact you'd better keep your trap shut." Ranma suggested sweetly, the index and middle finger of her right hand making a scissoring motion.

That shut the lost boy up nicely, and the girls chuckled when a wide-eyed Ryoga protected his crotch like a soccer-player.

"Ranma," Kasumi said tentatively, "Can I… May I…"

The Saotome girl caught on faster this time, having heard the same stammering from Ryoga before. "Sure." she said and lifted up her hoodie sweater after she'd reclaimed her cushion.

"Wow, you're actually wearing a bra!" Akane exclaimed in surprise, retaking her own seat beside Ryoga.

"She has to, imoutochan," Kasumi replied in Ranma's stead as she got up from her cushion. "The breasts of pregnant women can swell to very large sizes—and have obviously done so in Ranma-chan's case—and the back strain would be unbearable without the proper support."

"You can say that again," Ranma agreed with a frown. "Seems to me they're getting larger by the day, and I can't tell ya how much of a pain that is."

Akane winced in sympathy, her eyes wandering to the redhead's mid-section. "Ranma, may I as well after Kasumi…"

Ranma smiled. "Sure. She kinda likes it. You just have to place one of your hands below my navel and exert soft pressure with your fingers, kinda as if you were playing the piano or something."

Akane nodded with a smile. She watched curiously as her older sister—who had knelt down to Ranma's left—placed her right hand on Ranma's slightly swollen belly the way the redhead had suggested, and the oldest Tendo sibling began to softly apply pressure with her fingers in intermediate motions.

Few seconds later Kasumi felt a strong kick, and Ranma, who had her eyes closed, smiled. "She likes it, oneechan." she said as she felt more kicks.

The oldest Tendo girl smiled as well, and Akane shook her head in wonder. "Who'd have thought that a jerk like you, who always claimed he was soooo manly would end up a mother?" she mused teasingly.

The other teens chuckled and Ranma sent Akane a glare. The redhead switched to pouting when she realised it had no effect, but her pout finally slipped off her face in favour of a grin as she started chuckling. "Sure as hell not me." she admitted wryly.

"We're back!" Soun and Genma exclaimed in unison as they entered the house a good five minutes after their initial eavesdropping, and incidentally just as Akane was about to take her turn. the two martial arts masters had used Genma's Umi to further eavesdrop on their children, and had deemed immediate interference needful as soon as Ranma and Akane had declared their friendship instead of their wedding date.

Ranma hurriedly reinstated her modesty and redid her hair into a ponytail, for she had no wish to tell the fathers anything. Least of all her own father, who would likely get a coronary if he heard the news—and as many faults in character as the old panda possessed, he deserved to see his grandchild, eventually.

Kasumi had retaken her own seat prior to the father's arrival in the living room, and everything looked inconspicuous, just like a get together of five teenagers. Akane was sipping her tea, Ryoga, Ranma and Kasumi were nibbling cookies and Nabiki was reading a manga.

"Were you kicked out of the bar of the day, or why are you this early?" Nabiki drawled in a condescending tone to draw the fathers' attention on her as she casually placed her manga on the table—or more accurately one father, for Soun had excused himself in favour of a visit to the loo.

Genma bristled. "We had to… Ranma, my boy!" he exclaimed as he caught sight of his offspring who was—apparently—engrossed in a discussion with Kasumi pertaining the possible ways of how to improve the cookie recipe further. "Already back from the training trip?"

Ranma excused herself from her discussion with Kasumi and turned her head towards her father. "Something like that, pops." the redhead replied vaguely. In her mind it was too risky to induct the fathers in what had happened. The sisters, Ryoga and she had agreed that keeping quiet was the best course of action for the same reasons Ranma's clan had given: it was risky if too many people knew.

"Good, good, boy. Why don't you change back while I go to the kitchen to check if there's some food left?" Genma suggested.

"Changing ain't possible at the moment, pops," Ranma replied casually and sipped her tea, her face giving away nothing.

"Don't tell me you got yourself locked again, boy?" Genma queried with an angry shake of his head as he plopped down in his usual seat at the shogi board, seemingly forgetting about food in favour of reading Ranma the riot act. "Haven't I taught you anything?"

"Nothing that came without a price, a price I had to pay more often than not," Ranma retorted with a growl to her voice, her narrowed eyes giving him a warning to not even start this particular tirade.

Genma got the message loud and clear and limited himself to a laboured sigh. "So ungrateful... how long this time?"

"A few months," Ranma replied calmly, but her calmness was belied by the flashing of her eyes. "And if I hear the words 'ungrateful boy' one more time I'm going to have to blast you with this."

Two silver-blue spheres of writhing energy appeared in each palm, and Genma decided to swallow the retort that had been at the tip of his tongue. The balding martial artist limited himself to a huff.

"Kasumi, when pops mentioned food I realised that I'm still hungry as well. Would you be so nice to make sumthin'?" Ranma asked and batted her lashes for effect.

The oldest Tendo daughter giggled in face of Ranma's cute act and placed her cup onto the table. "But of course, Ranma-chan. I'll prepare some rice and soup, it won't take long." she assured and got up from her cushion.

"Thank you, Kasumi-oneechan," a smiling Ranma replied with a grin.

"You're welcome," Kasumi replied with a wink and walked towards the kitchen.

"So, why are you back so early, hmm?" Nabiki asked, fixing Genma with an inquiring stare that made the balding man sweat. "If you aren't back by morning you two normally don't return before mid-afternoon. So, what altered your routine?"

"I'll have you know, we fought off a gang of thugs. That criminal scum was about to start a riot at the bar we were enjoying our drinks at, and being the martial artists we are we stood our ground instead of satisfying our base urges!" Genma exclaimed and struck a heroic pose. "And the bartender was so thankful that he gave out round after round after we had disposed of 'em thugs. We would have insulted the good man had we rejected his offer!"

"Indeed, Saotome!" Soun agreed, who was just coming back from the loo, "Hello Ranma, my boy. It's good to have you back. Did your father already tell you how many thugs we defeated single-handedly? It had to have been at least twenty!"

Ranma and Ryoga shared a look and scoffed, and Soun's two present daughters looked distinctly disbelieving as well. "Interesting, daddy. Your story would be a lot more credible without the panty that is still sticking out of your back-pocket." Nabiki commented dryly.

"The old perv must have dragged them on a panty-raid after their pub crawl. and that completely negates their supposed good deed," Akane groused. "Really, daddy, sometimes you're such a shame!"

"Your old man is at least just sometimes a shame, mine is one all o' the friggin' time," Ranma commented dryly.

"I don't think there's much difference, Ranma. They're both pretty useless," Akane replied with a scowl at the fathers.

"WAAAAAH, my baby daughter is mad at me!" Soun cried.

Genma smirked inwardly, his old friend had just given him the perfect opening. "There, there, Tendo, old boy, I'm sure at least one of your daughters still respects you. Kasumi! Could you bring us some sake?"

"Of course, Uncle Saotome!" Kasumi replied from the kitchen.

The oldest Tendo sibling frowned unseen to Genma and Soun as she retrieved the sake. She hated the drinking habits of the fathers with growing passion, but she just couldn't jump over her own shadow. she was the obedient daughter and perfect hostess and had been just that for too long a time to change. Hopefully Nabiki would be able to pound some sense into them.

Kasumi adjusted the pot to a slow boil and sighed silently. she pasted an oblivious smile on her face with a conscious effort and walked out into the living room where she served the fathers. Genma and Soun immediately clinked bottles to their supposed victory and gulped the beverage down.

Genma placed his empty bottle on the ground with a satisfied grunt moments later. "See, Tendo, Kasumi will never let you down," he said sagely.

"Indeed, Saotome," Soun replied, and smiled at his oldest daughter who had retaken her seat upon a wink from Nabiki and smiled back at her father in her oblivious way.

"I'll go get us some beer now, Tendo, so that we may properly celebrate the return of my wayward son. Be right back," Genma exclaimed as he got up.

"Daddy, that's something I have to talk to you about. This can't go on…" Nabiki began, receiving moral support from the four other teens.

Tuning out the voices Genma walked towards the kitchen at a normal clip, ready and willing to sacrifice everything to safe his boy even if this meant bringing great pain to him…

-.-

Genma Saotome was currently standing in front of the stove in the Tendo kitchen. An unusual position for him for sure, but he wasn't here to cook. now that would have been completely beneath him, it was a woman's job to cook after all.

Carefully so as not to make too much noise Genma lifted the lid from the pot filled with bubbling Miso soup, and the bulky man retrieved the flask he had received from Agent Meiou and poured it wholly into the pot after firming his resolve yet again.

It was fortunate that the boy had said he was hungry, for he would most probably follow old habits and sample the soup. He had used to do so on their training trip as well when he had cooked for them, and old habits died hard, Genma should know. Once that had happened and the pain had set in he would dispose of the soup in the chaos and they would be safe.

A sigh escaped his lips as he thought about the pain it would bring the boy, but it couldn't be avoided. The demon spawn had to be exorcised at all costs, or the schools would never be joined. And that was completely unacceptable.

The Saotome patriarch ruthlessly suppressed the guilt he felt at having to cause his boy even more pain and retrieved the beer he kept for special occasions from its hiding place. Today was a special occasion alright. It was the day he would thwart one of the plans the Clan of his wife had concocted, and to that he would gladly drink.

Setting his face into its usual impassiveness Genma carried the beer under his arm and joined his old friend at the table. He sounded out right away that Soun had had to endure much, and was prepared to do the same in an instant.

As things looked that would be what was asked of him, for Nabiki's glare and Kasumi's—satisfied?—smile made him shiver in unpleasant anticipation. "Uncle," the middle Tendo began sugary sweet, "I already got daddy's promise that you two will stop acquiring any more tabs, and I clinched what'll happen if you don't. Now, I expect you to give me your word as well," she outright commanded.

Genma was sweating profusely under Nabiki's stare, but he found comfort in the motto that a martial artists' path was fraught with peril. It was a sacrifice alright, but seeing that they were persona non grata in more pubs than they could count anyway it might be a good idea to lay low for a while until things had quieted down.

The Saotome patriarch was about to answer, but was unexpectedly saved from an unlikely source. "Akane-san," came a voice from the sliding door, "Have you seen my Shampoo? The ghoul said she had some deliveries to make in this area, but she still hasn't come back."

"No, Mousse, not today. Sorry," Akane replied. "Maybe she's somewhere praying that Ranma here will come back to her."

Mousse scoffed. "That fiend. I'll never know what she sees in him. All he does is make her cry… Did you just say 'Ranma here'?" he suddenly exclaimed when what Akane had said hit him, and the Amazon placed his glasses on his nose.

"Yup, she did. Hiya duck-boy, how's life treatin' ya?" Ranma asked casually.

Mousse's face that had been completely calm and relaxed a few seconds ago contorted in a vicious snarl. "You made my Shampoo cry, Saotome! For weeks and months she pined after you, bemoaned the day you left when she could have had me! But what did she do when I wanted to comfort her? She sneered at me, said I'd never be even half the man you are, changed me into duck-form and locked me in the cage! You fiend, for that I'll make you pay!" he exclaimed heatedly.

Every person in the room aside from Ranma and Ryoga dove for cover, seeing as they knew what Mousse would do in his rage. The Amazon boy went for one of his standard attacks and predictably tried to trap Ranma in his chains, but surprisingly Ryoga stepped into the weapons path and caught the chains with careless seeming ease.

Mousse looked from Ryoga to Ranma and sneered. "What's this, Saotome, you too much of a girl to fight your own fights? Pathetic!" Mousse sneered.

"Better shut your trap, Mousse. You have no idea what she'll do to you if she gets angry," Ryoga retorted in a deadly serious tone. "I should know."

"'She'? Bwahahahaha! Has Saotome now finally gone all girl? Hah hah hah, I just see it now… It's true! An even bigger rack you got there, Saotome. Got yourself a nice guy lately…"

That was as far as Mousse got. An angry snarl escaped Ranma's lips and her eye-colour changed from blue to silver in a flash, the change being accompanied by a sensation of the ambient temperature suddenly dropping several degrees and the very air crackling ominously.

The redhead might have gotten used to the concept of being half-and-half in the last half year, but taunts to her male half still tended to make her volatile. Very.

An angry Ranma was bad enough in and on itself, but added to this fact was a distinct feeling of angry power coming from said redhead which backed her anger. Said angry power slowly manifested in the physical spectrum as a silver aura flaring around her and the display of power caused the hair band that tied her hair into a ponytail to snap, making the redhead's hair wave in an unseen breeze so that it looked like a halo. Silver eyes glared at the Amazon boy, and Ranma's beautiful face was scowling.

"Now he's really done it. She's mad. Hope she leaves the house in one piece..." Ryoga muttered and shook his head in dismay.

"YOU FUCKIN' ASSHOLE!" Ranma thundered suddenly, making everyone in the room flinch. "HOW DARE YOU SAY SUCH SHIT! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR SORRY DUCK ASS STRAIGHT TO THE MOON!"

"Scary!" Akane whispered from behind the low table she was hiding behind with Nabiki and Kasumi. "Am I ever glad we made up."

"You should be," Nabiki agreed mirthlessly.

Kasumi nodded her assent. "I have never seen Ranma-chan this angry before."

Everyone in the room would easily agree to this statement. The fathers had upturned the shogi board and were hiding behind it, and the two martial arts masters exchanged uneasy glances due to the power Ranma was exuding. It was better if the boy never got wind of what they had just done—better for them.

Mousse, who was at present facing this angry Ranma, gulped. Maybe it had been a mistake to treat Ranma as usual. She seemed to have changed a lot, and it seemed that she was more than willing to make good on her threat. **'This is not good. I could always count thereon that Saotome would pull his punches, but this Saotome won't, as it looks. Should I lower myself and apologise?'**

Before he had to make this difficult decision he was saved by Ryoga. "Calm down, Ranma. Do you want _them_ to get a lock on us?"

That served to calm Ranma down faster than a bucket of ice water to the face. "Shit, I lost it again, huh?"

Six heads frantically nodded in stereo, sweatdrops rolling down the backs of their heads, and a part-time-duck profusely thanked his ancestors that he had been spared. "How about something to eat now?" Kasumi asked with a cheerful smile.

Face-vaults ensued. Then, slowly, Ranma began to chuckle. "Some things never change..."

-.-

Kasumi had gone to the kitchen after she had delegated some work. Akane and Nabiki would set the table with Ryoga and Mousse helping. The fathers had retreated to the cleaned up shogi board and were heavily cheating.

Ranma had volunteered to help Kasumi in the kitchen, probably with hopes to sample the food. The redhead had just gotten a spoon and wanted to sample the soup when she was suddenly whisked away from the real world. Blinking her eyes a few times she found herself in the other Tendo Dojo, staring into the worried eyes of her daughter.

"Mom, whatever it is you were about to do, it's very dangerous!" the silvery-red-haired girl exclaimed intently.

Ranma's face showed her confusion. "Huh? I just wanted to sample the soup..."

Neo-Serenity scowled darkly. "Then it must be poisoned! Every alarm went off, mom. That stuff would _kill_ me!"

The redhead's eyes widened in alarm. "Send me back before Kasumi gets caught up in that shit!"

"Just think of the real world, momma. I love you," Ranma's daughter said with the hint of a smile and embraced her mother.

"Love you too, Senny," the redhead replied in a soft voice and raked her right hand through her daughter's soft hair for a short moment. She thought of the real world with a melancholic smile, sad that she'd to leave her daughter already, and her face twisted into an angry mask as she considered that she'd have to find and punish a would-be-murderer as her world blurred.

Ranma came out of her trance not a second later and blinked her eyes a few times. The spoon fell from her numb fingers and clattered to the ground with a metallic clank, and a look of disgust spread on her face as the soup that had been on the spoon spread over the kitchen floor.

Kasumi turned around. "Is something wrong with the soup, Ranma? Let me have a look."

The redhead whirled around and shook her head vehemently. "Doncha even come near that stuff, Kasumi. That stuff has been poisoned." she stated angrily, her eyes flashing silver.

A look of shock spread over Kasumi's face. "Are you sure? Of course you are. Oh my, who'd do something like that?"

"Someone who wants to kill my baby..." Ranma growled dangerously as she disposed of the soup.

"But the only one who was in the kitchen when I was not here was your father. Oh my!" Kasumi's eyes went wide. "Do you think he might have done it?"

Ranma scowled. "Ain't possible he'd do sumthin' like that normally, but considerin' what I've been through... Well, just one way to find out, really."

That said the redhead marched out of the kitchen, looking for all intents and purposes like an avenging angel. Kasumi, who didn't want to miss the spectacle that was about to unfold—it had been way too long anyway since the last Ranma situation in her opinion—followed the redhead on the heel.

Said pregnant Saotome girl planted herself in front of her father who seemed to sense that trouble was brewing. Splashing himself Genma turned into his panda-form and began to play with a beach-ball that had mysteriously appeared. **# I'm just a simple panda, #** read his sign.

"And I am not amused, pops," Ranma snarled through gritted teeth and her right fist smashed his sign to smithereens, silver lightning beginning to course around her body. Silver eyes fixed Genma in an unforgiving stare that promised to bring hell down on those that had wronged her—with her father being the prime suspect.

Her tone and obvious fury nearly made even battle hardened teens like Mousse and Ryoga cower—not to mention Soun and Genma, who were cowering in face of the angry redhead. "Kasumi," the said redhead turned to the older girl, "Could you please get some hot water? This jerk's got a lot to answer for if our suspicions are true."

"Of course, Ranma-imoutochan," the good spirit of the house said and returned to her domain.

Genma-panda repeatedly claimed his innocence, but Ranma's fist turned his signs into sawdust every time. "Sign all you want, pops, I will find out who tried to poison me. And if it was you…" she trailed off darkly.

"Poison?" everyone cried out in unison.

"Yeah, someone tried to poison me with the soup, and the effects would have been Bad," Ranma retorted, and everyone could hear the capitalisation. "Luckily I was warned." Ranma growled.

"Son, that sounds like something the Amazons might try," Soun—who had recovered his wits by now— suggested, ignoring the burning glare Mousse shot his way.

"There are several things wrong with that scenario, daddy. For one, Mousse had no knowledge that Ranma was back. Two, I doubt that he would have access to potent poisons."

Mousse angrily nodded his assent, and a serious Nabiki swivelled her head towards Ranma. "It was a potent poison, wasn't it, Ranma?" Nabiki inquired.

Ranma nodded, her eyes glinting with unbridled anger. "Yes, Nabiki. It would've killed a part of me.

She glared at Soun. "As much as Mousse is getting on my nerves, he ain't the one who'd try sumthin' like that."

"You're right, Saotome, I would never sink so low," he snarled, and his glare drilled holes in Soun's cranium. "Be glad Saotome is already on your case and has a prior claim, or I would have assessed your words as a slight to my honour."

Ranma inclined her head in a warrior's gesture of respect. "As I said, it can't have been Mousse. No, there's only pops who was in the kitchen when no one was there. He has no... What did they call it on TV? Alibi?"

"Yeah," Ryoga exclaimed. "Never liked you much, Mr. Saotome, but I respected your abilities as a martial artist. That you'd do something like that is... disgusting!"

**# But I didn't do anything! #** the panda protested.

"Son-in-law," a wizened voice exclaimed from the door, causing all heads to turn towards the speaker. "My senses didn't betray me after all." Cologne said as she pogoed into the room.

Kasumi had just returned from the kitchen with a steaming kettle in her hands. "Oh, hello, grandmother." she smiled at the Elder as she handed the kettle to Ranma.

Ranma took the kettle all too gladly, and she didn't notice that Cologne squinted her eyes as she poured the hot water over her pandafied father. A few drops of the scalding fluid reached Ranma's skin as well as Genma shook himself in an effort to get the incredibly hot water off of his skin.

Cologne ignored the cries of the balding martial artist as he hopped through the room. Her attention was solely focussed on the redhead, and her eyes went impossibly wide as her senses came to a seemingly impossible conclusion upon seeing the improbable. Ranma had not changed.

"Son-in-law..." she whispered in shock and fell off her staff in a supreme face-vault as her brain comprehended what her senses told her. "Ranma... You... You are... pregnant."

-.-

Mousse, who hadn't known said fact up till now sacrificed the juice he had been drinking to the kami of spit-take. "W-What?" he finally asked when he had stopped choking.

The fathers reacted slowly and made their exclamations of surprise a few seconds later, and unconvincing at that as their facial expressions—Soun's in particular—gave them away. They were so obviously faked that Nabiki's suspicions were raised. "So you two knew," she commented. "How? And since when?"

Genma vehemently shook his head in denial. "No, we didn't! That's a total surprise to us! How dare you get yourself knocked up like a weak girl, boy, I should... Urrk!"

"I ain't got the patience to listen to you wasting air," Ranma said coldly as she held her father suspended in midair, her right arm not even straining from his weight. "Ya tried to kill my daughter, and you can count yourselves lucky I ain't ripped you to shreds yet. Spill. Now."

"Son, we have got no idea what you're talking about. It's news to us that you're pregnant. Were you raped?" Soun asked in what seemed to be concern.

Ranma's face had progressively darkened throughout Soun's try at derailing her, and the redhead sneered at the master of the Tendo school. "Nice try. Old ghoul, you have something like truth serum or something similar on you? Don't matter if it hurts," she spat viciously.

Genma was sweating profusely. "Boy, you wouldn't do that to your own father!"

Ranma's head swivelled towards her father whom she still held in a vice-grip and her silver eyes drilled holes in Genma's cranium. "Without batting a lash," she retorted in a voice as cold a space.

"Son, calm down!" Soun pleaded, and it was obvious that he was a hairsbreadth away from having a crying fit.

Ranma's head turned towards the Tendo patriarch yet again and the redhead gave him a distasteful look, no trace of humour in her cold silver eyes. "I ain't your son and I ain't your daughter either. As it looks I ain't gonna be your in-law either, seein' what kinda shit you two idiots pulled. The serum, old ghoul?" she queried and dropped her father onto the ground like a sack of potatoes.

Cologne stepped off her staff and grinned nastily. her staff suddenly blurred and the Elder pressed several pressure points on Genma. "The paralysis points?" Ranma inquired with a raised brow.

The old Amazon inclined her head. "He will be paralysed for two to three hours or until the counterpoint is pressed. I believe the same is not needful for you as well, Soun Tendo?"

"N-No, Elder," Soun sighed and bowed his head, resigning himself to his fate.

"Good, Mr. Tendo," Ranma commented with an undercurrent of anger still in her voice. "Ryoga, would you please bind them? I'm sure Kasumi-imoutochan can help you get the necessary stuff."

Ryoga nodded his assent and got to his feet, and Soun got his next shock of the day when his oldest daughter stood up from her cushion as well. "What?" Kasumi asked sternly, her brows raised. "Didn't you think I'd do my imoutochan the favour she asked of me? My loyalty to you is not without limits, and its limits were reached today. Your friend did something incredibly stupid, and you had to have helped, father. Had you succeeded you would have killed Ranma's daughter. And that's something I can not forgive. Ryoga-kun, please follow me."

Soun was so baffled that he didn't even try to defend himself, and the numerous glares aimed at him made him bow his head in shame. Today had not been his day.

-.-

Little later both fathers were bound—Soun had been paralysed as well due to too much crying—, and Ranma was looking expectantly at Cologne. "You said you had a neat truth serum?"

"Yes. I've just the thing, Sonny boy. Or should I say Sonny girl?" she cackled.

"Whatever," Ranma waved it away as Cologne produced a flask. "And that's gonna hurt, yeah?"

Cologne grinned nastily. "Oh yes. The harder they resist the more it'll hurt. They can still lie, but the pain is unbelievable, and it gets worse with each lie."

"Good. Their tolerances for pain ain't that high to begin with. Whenever you're ready, Elder," Ranma replied, inclining her head in respect for the older woman.

"Elder, eh?" Cologne commented with a wry grin.

Ranma grinned as well, and her eyes changed back from silver to blue. "You stopped callin' me that annoyin' son-in-law, thus I can stop callin' you an old ghoul."

"Why did you stop calling Ranma 'son-in-law', Elder Cologne?" Akane inquired curiously, breaking the stunned silence she and the others had kept throughout the last few minutes.

Ryoga chuckled. "Bet there's a rule for that or something," he mused wryly.

The Elder of the Joketsuzoku chuckled. "In fact, there is. We have had cases like this before in the history of our tribe, cases similar to this. Should a Nyannichuan cursed man get pregnant the kiss of marriage is void," she explained.

"Just like that? There ain't no catch?" Ranma asked unconvinced.

"Not at the moment, Ranma, but there will be. You're a special case after all," Cologne replied with a cackle.

Ranma simply gave Cologne a half-lidded stare. "Story of my life. Go on."

Cologne cackled anew and hopped onto her staff. "Now as to why the kiss is void... You must understand that the tribe is a matriarchal society. A Nyannichuan cursed man who gets pregnant becomes a woman in the eyes of the tribe, because there's nothing that can bring a man farther away from being a man than a pregnancy, the most female thing in creation there is. Normally we would try to bring you into the tribe anyway by marrying you off to an Amazon male, but I can imagine your reaction if the tribe tried this."

Ranma's eyes changed colour again, the aura of power returning. "Oh yeah, I'm still a guy as well, and if the tribe would force me into anythin' they would pay the price," she promised coldly.

Cologne nodded gravely, her eyes indicating that she had understood the implications perfectly. "I figured as much. From now on you're a female cursed to turn into a man with hot water in the tribe's eyes, and I will have to relay this titbit of information eventually. I can keep them out of your hair by not relaying it for a while, but they'll want compensation eventually," the Elder concluded.

"Then we'll talk about this eventually, Elder. I have got other priorities right now," Ranma replied in a businesslike tone.

Cologne inclined her head. "We shall."

"What about the kiss of death, old mummy?" Mousse asked.

After he had received a bonk to the head and a warning from Cologne that he wasn't enjoying the same privileges as Ranma the Elder's face twisted into a smile, which was a truly dreadful sight to behold. "That has been taken care of long ago. Shampoo..."

"Hiya hibachan!" a bubbly voice exclaimed from the door. "Read your note and come over!"

Ranma slapped her forehead in dismay. "Will I ever get to question the two idiots?" she muttered with a sigh.

Her eyes flashed in annoyance and her head swivelled from the newcomer to the fathers. "Don't get your hopes up," she glared at the fathers, "postponed is not abandoned. I will get my answers yet."

"Airen!" Shampoo exclaimed as soon as she caught sight of Ranma. "Why panda-man and crying man bound?" she asked confused.

The Amazon shrugged a second later, deeming the unfavourable situation of the fathers irrelevant. "Don't matter. You is back! Too too good!"

This exclamation was followed by a glomping attempt. Attempt, because Ranma phased to the side before Shampoo could complete the motion. The purple-haired Amazon stumbled as her forward motion carried her into empty spot Ranma had occupied seconds ago, but her training enabled her to regain her balance in the blink of an eye.

Ranma's disappearing act had caused raised brows all around, and Shampoo sniffed as her head swivelled over to Ranma's new position beside Nabiki. "Airen no like Shampoo?" the Amazon queried in a hurt voice with her head turned downwards.

"I've always liked you, Shampoo," Ranma answered with a smile and the Amazon girl mirrored the smile happily while Mousse bristled, "As a friend."

Shampoo and Mousse face-vaulted while the Tendo sisters and Ryoga reacted with understanding nods, an understanding born from knowing the backgrounds, but the young Amazon warrior—who had no knowledge of the altered situation—played the tear card after she had recovered from her faceplant. "No like Shampoo more?" she sniffed.

Ranma didn't even flinch in face of the teary-eyed Shampoo, but the redhead let an empathic sigh escape her lips. "Look, I can't be your Airen. I can't and won't marry anyone," she glared at the still sweating fathers, "I've got other worries. Ne, Senny-chan?" she whispered with emotion-filled eyes and stroked her belly.

"Senny-chan? Who is obstacle?" Shampoo yelled angrily, brandishing her bonborries.

Ryoga took a few steps forward and stopped at Ranma's left side with his arms crossed across his chest, his volition to jump to Ranma's defence obvious on his face, but it was Akane who spoke up before him right as she'd reached the redhead's other side. "Shampoo, I'm saying this as Ranma's friend… Put those weapons away. This is my home and you are playing by my rules when you step through the door, holes you make or whatever. Senny-chan is no obstacle, and there's no need to get violent." the cobalt-haired girl said in a strong voice.

"Stash your weapons, great-granddaughter. There's indeed no need," Cologne exclaimed before an angry Shampoo could retort, the matriarch's voice holding a hint of command.

"But hiba-chan, obstacle is for killing!" Shampoo protested as she looked from Cologne to the other teens, an angry scowl on her face.

"If anyone tries to harm my Senny-chan I'm gonna kill 'em. Slowly, painfully," Ranma promised coldly, the conviction to follow up on that threat plain visible in her blue eyes that had narrowed to slits.

Ryoga nodded and cracked his knuckles. "And before they'll have to go through me first." he added with conviction, giving no further explanation as to why he, a rival of Ranma would help said rival.

"Thanks, man," Ranma managed as her gaze met Ryoga's, who simply shrugged and smiled. "You see, Shampoo," she continued in a businesslike tone, "you won't get to lay a finger on Senny-chan, and you won't even try if you want to be my friend. For those who try to harm my Senny-chan will pay the price."

Shampoo's eyes showed her surprise, and a few metres away the eyes of the bound and paralysed fathers visibly widened at the implied threat, but the old masters were completely ignored. they weren't worth killing anyway, yet they didn't need to know that.

"That's how you want to name her then?" Cologne asked with a raised brow.

"Who?" Shampoo asked, understanding naught.

"Her daughter, Shampoo. Ranma is pregnant," Nabiki said in a deadly serious tone.

"WHAT?" Shampoo exclaimed outraged, her beautiful face turning purple with rage. "Who did? I kill!"

"Get in the line, then," Ryoga grumbled, and made it a show to crack his knuckles.

"What I'd like to know, Ranma, how did that come about? You didn't strike me as the type who'd explore the other side this far," Cologne commented with a hint of mockery in her wizened voice.

Ranma sighed. "I think I can trust you, Elder. You might've been cruel to me on several occasions," she glared and mouthed 'Cat's tongue', "but you always helped me when I needed it."

"Do you think it's wise to reveal everything, Ranma? It may cause a panic," Ryoga cautioned with a frown on his face.

"That bad. I see," muttered Cologne, massaging her temples as if she was in excruciating pain.

"They deserve to know, Ryoga. They ain't always been what I'd call friends, but they ain't enemies either. You taught me much, Elder, 'n' maybe I can repay you somewhat. Before we start, do you have sumthin' on you that can mask magic?" Ranma asked.

"Too late for that, Ranma-san..."

Every head whipped over to the person who had just appeared out of thin air. It turned out to be a purple haired young woman in a fuku, incidentally one young woman that had been thought to have ceased existing.

-.-

Everyone—aside from the bound fathers, for obvious reasons—switched into stances, but Chibi-Usa held her hands up. "I am Sailor Chibi Moon, and I'm not here to fight, but to warn you, Ranma-san."

Ranma eyed the newcomer with suspicion, and her blue eyes were narrowed as she surveyed Chibi Moon. "You're one of those scouts who wanted to kill my baby. Why should I trust you?"

"Because you can't afford not to." Chibi-Usa let a laboured sigh escape her lips. "Look, the others will be here in about half an hour. I managed to find you sooner because I knew what to look for. We have to make a run for it..."

"How did you know what to look for?" Nabiki asked suspiciously.

"Because I'm Sailor Moon's daughter from the future, the Thirtieth century, to be exact. Look, we have got no time for this! We have to find a safe place, and that soon!"

"Maybe the village?" Cologne suggested.

"That would bring too much danger to your people!" Chibi-Usa said with a shake of her head. "Some of the others would do much to acquire what they have strived for so long, and..."

"She's right," Ranma interjected. "Some of the Outers might do sumthin' stupid."

"Yes, exactly!" Usa agreed. "We need something remote, like your fortress... Oops!"

"Fortress?" Ranma asked suspiciously.

Chibi-Usa waved her hands. "Nothing, nothing. Forget I said anything, that was just a memory flash from the future, heh heh! I mixed some things up, is all."

Ranma eyed her with that inquiring look she had perfected and was about to grill her for details when she was suddenly whisked into the dreamscape.

She immediately found herself hugged. "You are okay, mom, I'm so happy!"

"Thanks to you, Senny-chan," Ranma smiled as she returned the hug. "The soup was poisoned, and it'd have killed you for sure! But you whisked me right out of sumthin' important. Sailor Moon's daughter appeared outta the blue and said the other Senshi were 'bout to find us. Said we needed a safe place. I have to find out if I can trust her."

"You can, momma. Members of the Serenity line can't lie. That's why you had so much trouble in your life. It's inherited."

"Sonova..." Ranma cursed and palmed her face. "That explains soooo much."

"I don't know if that should be exemplary for my vocabulary, mom..." Senny said mock-earnestly, the corners of her mouth turned up in amusement.

The redhead snorted and ruffled her daughter's hair. "Wisecrack. So I can trust Chibi Moon... Now where to go?"

"You could try something, mom. It's a bit of a gamble, but if it's still intact it'd solve all our problems," Senny mused.

"What?" Ranma asked, nearly dying of curiosity.

Senny-chan grinned wickedly. "Someone sure is curious here," she said. "Okay, okay, mom," she relented in face of her mother's glare, "no need to get medieval on your poor, innocent daughter."

Ranma scoffed. "Innocent. As if. Fat chance of that considerin' your ancestry. I just hope you didn't inherit too much from pop's side. Fatass panda, tryin' to kill you..." she said with a sniff.

Her daughter hugged her and stroked her smaller mother's hair. "Everything's alright, mom. I'm well, and you can plot our revenge on him in our secret lair."

Ranma, who leant into the hug—it was getting easier and easier to let herself fall—looked up into her daughter's silver eyes. "Where's that lair? Usa slipped and mentioned a fortress. Is our lair a fortress or was she pulling my leg?"

Senny openly smirked, and one could see a lot of Ranma in that cocky smirk. "It's a fortress and more, mom. It's Lemuria. It was a secret command post my predecessor had built here on Earth in case things ever got ugly. I don't know what happened to the staff during the sol war, but there's a good chance it's still intact. I know where it is and how to activate it in case its still there."

Ranma nodded appreciatively. "Perfect. How do we get there?"

"Chibi Moon can teleport us. Can you memorise coordinates, mom?"

"Yeah." Ranma nodded.

"Good. It's in the Pacific Ocean, 46.0 km (28.6 miles) ENE of Hanga Roa, Ocean Islands, Chile. I suspect Lemuria is hidden underwater in the vicinity, thus we'll have to reach it by whatever is viable."

"Okay, dear. Pacific Ocean, Chile," she replied as she memorised the information. "Got it. I hope the next time I see you is under better circumstances. Love you!"

Ranma then concentrated on the real world and just heard Senny's reply on the edge of her perception. "Love you too!"

-.-

Ranma's return to the real world came as swift as ever. Glancing around she looked into several curious and expectant faces. "Sorry, just had a talk with my inner voice, 'n' she told me that I can trust you 'n' where we'll be safe."

"You trust her just like that?" Akane asked incredulously.

"Yeah. Senny said it'd be okay," Ranma replied with a shrug.

"Oh. Okay," Akane—who, like her sisters and Ryoga knew of the magical connection between Ranma and her daughter—replied with a nod of her head.

"Senny? As in your daughter?" Cologne inquired.

"Yeah. We share a magical connection that allows us to talk in a dreamscape of sorts. She told me where to tele... teleport to with Chibi Moon's help here. But first, have we got 'nuff time for the background story, Chibi Moon?"

Chibi Usa nodded her head. "If we go to a place where we can't be detected as easily it should not be a problem... but we'd need disguises. Pluto can't get a lock on you if you mask your magical outbursts, and I'm hidden from her anyway. So where to?"

"The best choice would be the Nekohanten. I can mask our presences inconspicuously once we are inside the building." Cologne spoke up.

"Before we leave, we should dye Ranma's hair black. Her red mop stands out way too much," Nabiki remarked.

"Already done!" Chibi Moon exclaimed and produced her transformational pen and made good use of it. Not a minute later Ranma sported black long hair and green eyes as well as fangs, making her look like a relative of Ryoga. That she wore typical girls clothing rounded off the picture and made her look like a normal girl. All in all it was well-done disguise, even more so because Ranma didn't wear it as if it was a disguise.

The former redhead didn't even grumble, she'd do everything to keep her little girl safe, and she was actually relieved when they left in groups in timed intervals. The ground was starting to get hot under her feet.

**to be continued**…


	8. Chapter 8

**Title**: Chaotic Rebirth

**Author name**: Trugeta

**Edited by**: Howard Russell and Ordieth

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ as well as Naoko Takeuchi and many others. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Note further that I don't own any of the trademarked properties mentioned in this story. Also, the OCs used in this story are works of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead is not intended and purely coincidental.

This story takes place after the failed wedding in the Ranma series and the defeat of Galaxia in the Sailor Moon Series. It's an AU, and reviews are welcome and appreciated.

**  
Chapter 8**

Ranma and Ryoga were the second group to head for the Nekohanten, the Amazons already having left. The Tendo sisters would be the third group to head for the Nekohanten in about ten minutes, and Chibi Moon would follow once she had taken care of some important business she had mentioned. The daughter of Sailor Moon had sworn on her magic that it was nothing that could or would harm Ranma—and the pregnant martial artist had believed Chibi Moon, now being aware of the fact that she—as a fellow member of the Serenity line—was incapable of lying.

The disguised redhead—who was posing as a member of the Hibiki family—and the lost boy walked side by side under a relentless burning sun with her leading the large boy, the ambient temperatures being well above thirty degrees Celsius, which made even the walk a tedious task.

The Hibiki youth had taken it upon himself to carry the still paralysed Genma which they had changed into a panda to look more inconspicuous, which was something that could and would only work in Nerima.

Ryoga had slung the pandafied Genma over his right shoulder—which didn't even cause raised brows, it being Nerima after all. To further deflect any spies Ryoga had loudly claimed that they had a few bones to pick with the panda for ruining his sister's honour and had socked him in the head for good measure.

Ranma had reacted like a true Hibiki, claiming "Genma Saotome, it's all your fault! For making my life hell you'll pay!". The understanding faces and comments of the Tendo sisters—as well as Nabiki's recommendation to ask Cologne for some creative assistance—had been the icing on the cake.

Ryoga had barely contained his amusement, but he had outright refused to let Ranma carry the panda, seeing that she was pregnant, and he had remained steadfast. The raven haired girl had just shot him a look that had communicated the question if he was shitting her—especially considering that he had seen her perform the Art in their 'fight' with the Senshi and not to mention her knocking him through a tree yesterday—but had shrugged in acceptance when he had argued that she shouldn't risk anything by carrying the traitorous sometimes-panda. She hadn't wanted to argue and had given in to Ryoga's gentlemanliness—which she supposed as the real reason.

Ranma didn't know if she should be bothered by Ryoga viewing her as a woman or not, but put this thought into the back of her mind in favour of pulling out a bottle of water, pausing for a bit to gulp down some of the cool liquid. Ryoga waited patiently for her, and Ranma gave him a thankful grin as she stored the bottle in her backpack.

Resuming their walk Ranma continued her silent contemplations and assessed her priorities. Her top priority was to find Lemuria which was equivalent to a safe place in her mind, closely followed by—verbally—tearing into the fathers and relating her story to the Amazons and later on Ukyo, if she managed. She felt pretty bad that she hadn't had any contact with her childhood friend in so long, but it couldn't be helped. Circumstances had dictated secrecy, as much as she would have wished otherwise.

Shrugging to herself about things she couldn't change anyway the disguised girl brought herself back to reality and noticed that the Nekohanten was just a mere two-hundred metres away, and Ranma grinned. Her instinctive knowledge of the area was still so good that she had found the way without thinking, and she was glad that they had reached the Nekohanten without bumping into anyone—which was a small miracle for her track record in Nerima. Yet she was even gladder for having the opportunity to visit the loo.

Ranma pushed the door that led into the restaurant open with an austere expression on her tanned face. "I really hate when she's lying on my bladder," she muttered quietly, but Ryoga heard it anyway.

He would never have thought that he would ever be glad to have fallen into the Spring of drowned piglet, but now was such a time. Just the mere thought that it might have been him to fall into the Nyannichuan and that it might have been him to get pregnant—provided the improbability his family had skeletons of the likes Ranma's family had in the closet—made the hairs on his back stand up.

That Ranma had agreed to go through with something that went so completely against his—or rather her—nature had impressed him as soon as he had taken the time to listen to the backgrounds, and the magical light shows plus the involvement of the Sailor Senshi had been all the clues he had needed to believe Ranma. That, and the kicks the baby produced simply couldn't be faked. No, he did not envy Ranma's curse any longer, all things considered, that much was sure.

A low chuckle escaped the Hibiki youth as he watched Ranma speed towards the loo like liquid lightning, and a look at Cologne who was standing on the table nearest to the entrance showed him that she was amused as well. "Ahh, the joys of a pregnancy..." her wizened voice mused in a reminiscing tone.

Ranma, who had reached the loo and had just pushed the door open was not of the same opinion and stopped to glare at the Matriarch. "Yeah, having to run to the loo every other hour is such a joy!" she retorted grumpily and disappeared into the facilities.

Cologne cackled with a knowing look on her face, and Ryoga shook his head in wonder as he dropped the pandafied Genma on the ground like a sack of potatoes, just a bit harder than necessary. "It's remarkable how he... she deals with it. I'm not sure I'd have the same strength in her stead," he admitted as he closed the door.

"Same here," a neutral voice commented from the stairway, and Mousse entered the serving area, sharpening a throwing knife. "I'd probably have killed myself, or better yet, those bastards who did it to me."

The Amazon boy was actually wearing his glasses for a change, and his face didn't show the angry expression it usually displayed when Ranma was just mentioned. The raven haired boy seemed to be a lot calmer than usual, and as he took one of the chairs surrounding the large table Cologne was perched on Ryoga looked a little closer at his sometimes ally. His well honed instincts told him within seconds that yet another rival of Ranma—outside of him—had put the feud aside. And it was only logical considering that Ranma was out of the running for Shampoo's heart—if the boy-turned-girl had been in it in the first place, which he doubted after the redhead's spilling of her heart at the Tendos.

"You preparing for war?" the Hibiki youth jokingly asked as Mousse continued to sharpen the knife.

It was Cologne who answered from her position on the large table, and her serious face was a mask of stone. "As a matter of fact, we are indeed preparing for any eventuality. I have set up every ward I have at hand, and I have also used all means of protection against magic imaginable, just as Ranma asked of me. I trust her that the situation is indeed as serious as she lets on.

"Being prepared is the logical course of action in an unknown situation," she explained, waving the staff she held in her right hand for emphasis.

"Is too too true!" Shampoo's bubbly voice exclaimed as she exited the kitchen with a steaming mug of what seemed to be tea. "Warriors always is prepared!"

Cologne nodded in approval. "Well spoken, child."

Shampoo bowed her head in a gesture of thankfulness as she walked towards the table her great-grandmother was perched on. "Is special tea hiba-chan made," the purple haired Amazon explained at seeing Ryoga's inquiring look, placing the cup onto the table. "Gives too too strong daughters!" she added, grabbed a chair and sat down, well away from Mousse.

"D-Daughters?" Ryoga asked, so baffled that he plopped down into one of the chairs surrounding the table as well. "As in plural?" he added, his brows trying to climb into his bandanna.

Cologne cackled, her face showing her amusement in brown eyes that glinted. "Not what you are thinking, child. This special brew ensures that females born of Ranma's line will be strong in spirit, mind and body. It is a traditional talisman in our tribe," she explained between more cackles.

"You had me worried there for a second or two, old mummy," Mousse commented with a look of relief on his face.

His comment was subsequently followed by a bonk to the head courtesy of Cologne's staff and a muffled, "OWWIE!"

"And why, pray tell, is that?" the matriarch inquired sternly, her right brow raised.

Mousse fixed the Elder with a stare, rubbing the sore spot where the staff had impacted. "Saotome is a guy, despite everything. He'd never go through... through this willingly again," he exclaimed, his face showing the revulsion he felt at imagining himself in Ranma's shoes.

"You're wrong, Mousse," Ranma's lilt replied from just outside the facilities just as Mousse continued to rub his head due to the bonk to his cranium, and her statement caused facevaults.

Genma reacted just as surprised—within the scope of his current capabilities—as the others, as was evidenced by the widening and subsequent narrowing of his eyes. Had the father of Ranma possessed the full range of his bodily functions—and access to hot water—he'd likely have read his son turned daughter the riot act, which in turn would have sent anyone wishing for ear plugs. Luckily for everyone present Genma was as mute as they come for the time being, and it was the teens' turn to express their disbelief.

"What!" Mousse and Ryoga cried out in unified unbelief, and the female Amazons were surprised as well which was evidenced by their wide eyes.

Ranma walked towards the group with a giggle and pointed at them. "You should have seen your faces!" she exclaimed in mirth, earning displeased glares.

"Sorry," she added as she sat down beside Ryoga, dropping her smile as he became serious, "But that was just too good to pass up. And I meant what I said, at least partially.

"Oooh," she exclaimed happily as she took notice of the steaming mug on the table, forgetting about anything else, "is that for me?"

Cologne, who had watched Ranma with an intrigued expression, cackled and managed a nod. "Yes, Ranma. This is a special tea that will provide your body with the minerals, vitamins and trace elements and everything else it needs. It's a traditional talisman to ensure strong daughters born to your line."

"Thank you," Ranma replied with an inclination of her head and grabbed the mug with both hands, hoping to alleviate both her thirst as well as the coldness in her fingers that stemmed from washing them with too cold water.

"You're welcome," Cologne said, smiling briefly before turning to Shampoo. "Great-granddaughter, get us some tea and cookies before we sate our curiosity—in sufficient quantity. Ranma will surely be able to stomach it, if you'll pardon the fun, sonny girl," she added with a cackle.

"Yes, hiba-chan!" Shampoo replied and disappeared in a purple haired flash while Ranma grumbled good-naturedly.

The clattering of dishes emanated from the kitchen some seconds later, and Ranma drank her tea in amiable silence—Ryoga and Mousse shooting her curious glances from time to time—thinking back to the times she had spent in these rooms as a waitress. She had lived through a lot in this house—the fight for the Phoenix pill being the most prominent incident that came to mind next to her 'meeting' with Herb—and it figured that she should return here when the going got tough.

Cologne had always been a rock in the surge in times of need—the times aside where she had strived to see her own schemes through—and the development that she had ceased to be Shampoo's Airen had made her more inclined to rely on the ancient Amazon for help. Taking another sip from her tea Ranma let her eyes wander, and a small smile appeared on her face.

The boys had stopped watching Ranma when she didn't do anything of interest and had instead busied themselves with activities that were typical for males: they were tending to their weapons, Mousse busying himself with sharpening any bladed weapon he possessed while Ryoga tended to his umbrella.

Ranma smiled slightly at the sight before frowning slightly. She herself didn't feel the same drive to fight as before, oddly enough. She didn't know when it had started or when she had stopped caring, but her instincts had slowly changed within the last six months, making protecting her offspring the top priority. She would still fight to the end and to win if necessary, but not because she wanted to prove she was the best, no, to ensure the safety of her child. Which was a way more honourable and sensible reason in her mind.

Her gaze slowly wandered to Cologne as she continued to sip her tea, and Ranma watched in curious interest as Cologne unfolded an ancient looking scroll and began muttering something that sounded like an incantation. The raven haired young woman returned her attention back to her own body when she noticed someone waking up and leant back in her chair, beginning to stroke her belly.

Shampoo returned from the kitchen not two minutes later, effortlessly balancing a trayful of cookies and a large can of tea. The warrior maiden placed the nourishments onto the table with graceful and fluid movements and a slight smile at Ranma, then she went back to the kitchen to retrieve the dishes.

The purple haired Amazon returned to the serving area yet again a few moments later and had set the table in no time, and not a minute later everyone was enjoying tea and cookies. Ranma helped herself to a cookie and nibbled it, taking small, savouring bites. She sighed when the tasty home-baked treat had fallen prey to her sweet tooth and looked at the fellow warriors, her eyes coming to rest on Cologne.

"Thanks for everything you have already done for us, Elder," Ranma said with a bow of her head. "We appreciate it."

Cologne inclined her head and smiled, which was—as always—a truly dreadful sight to behold. But Ranma didn't care, for this smile of her sometimes mentor was an honest, a true smile without any ulterior motives.

"You are welcome, Ranma. But now to what I assume interests all of us. What did you mean by what you just said?" the Elder inquired, and Ryoga, Mousse and Shampoo switched their attention back to the two women.

Ranma smiled, her face gaining an introspective quality. "Simple. On the one hand Mousse is right. I'd never go through another pregnancy willingly, regardless how awe-inspiring it is, but on the other hand he's wrong. I'm not just a guy, not any more," she added.

"What Ai... Ranma mean?" Shampoo inquired for the attendants, whose reactions varied from surprise to an understanding nod.

Ranma leaned back in her chair, her right hand firmly holding her mug while her left went to her belly, coming to a rest on her slightly swollen mid-section. "I'm almost six months pregnant, and that puts me at odds with being a guy and nothing but a guy," she said with irony tingeing her voice, and smiled when she felt Senny kicking. "I know you probably think I'm all guy mentally, but that ain't true any more. Don't get me wrong, I'll never start pining after guys or start donning frilly skirts and stuff," she said with a look of revulsion on her face, "It's just that being pregnant brought me more in touch with my feminine side.

"Guys, you can't stay female and pregnant for about six months without being affected by it," she added at seeing the boy's incredulous looks. "Before my pregnancy this body felt alien to me at all times, which was why I always wanted to change back right away. But ever since I got pregnant this 'itch', this feeling of malaise, of being in the wrong body vanished into thin air.

"I don't feel below par any more, and I'm pretty comfortable with this body. Maybe I simply came to realise that I'm a woman as much as a man, for you can't get any further away from being a man than being a pregnant woman. But I am still a right tomboy, will always be and am proud of it," she finished with a mischievous grin.

Amused snorts ensued, and just Cologne kept her composure. The matriarch nodded her head thoughtfully, her tiny left hand stroking her chin. "To tell you the truth, I expected as much, Ranma," she mused. "Your case is just like many others I witnessed in my days, and I am glad that you stopped your struggle against the curse and accepted it as it is, not as a curse, but as another aspect of yourself. I am sure you already guessed that there are no cures for Jusenkyo curses, no?"

"I suspected it, yes," Ranma admitted with a wary sigh.

"There really is no cure?" Ryoga wanted to know, his facial expression conveying his mounting depression.

"What about the Nannichuan?" Mousse inquired, his tone hopeful. "Wouldn't it cure the curses?"

Ranma, who had watched Ryoga slip into a depressed state worried that her friend would get even more depressed considering what Cologne's expression indicated. She herself didn't view her curse as that any more—Cologne had been right in that respect—but Ryoga had every reason to want to rid himself of the Heituenniichuan curse. Cologne's discouraging look as good as shattered these hopes, however.

"No," the Elder said gravely, making their suspicions reality. "Nannichuan water would only make things worse, at least for Ranma. Pantyhose Taro is the prime example as to why."

Shampoo shot her great-grandmother a confused look. "What has bullhead do with things, hibachan?"

"Yeah, old mummy, my Shampoo is right, what's that to do with monster-boy? OWW!"

"He'll never learn," Ryoga sighed as Mousse rubbed another lump courtesy of Cologne's staff. "But I'm curious as well. Taro has that Drowned Yeti and stuff curse—"

"Niuhoomanmaorenniichuan," Cologne interjected.

"Whatever. And he came back with octopus tentacles last time," the lost boy mused thoughtfully. His face slowly became horrified as realisation settled in. "Does that mean the curses combine?!" Ryoga and Ranma screamed in horrified stereo.

Cologne nodded gravely. "I'm afraid so, yes. The tribe has vast experience with Jusenkyo curses, experience we paid for in blood. We have suffered great losses throughout history where promising and aspiring sisters fell prey to the Nannichuan and tried to cure their affliction with a dip in the Nyannichuan. The results were mixtures of man and woman, shunned by the tribe, doomed to live a life without acceptance. Many sisters who suffered this fate chose the way of the knife."

Ranma shuddered as she imagined that gruesome fate, and her right hand unconsciously went to her belly. "Oh my Kami-sama," she breathed, her face green.

"Now you understand why I was so relieved that Happi drank the Nannichuan, Ranma. I am sure he knew what could happen," Cologne mused.

"Meh, the old geezer probably just wanted to ensure that his favourite student and pet project for dress up wouldn't perish," Ranma groused. "Good that he did," she added with a sniff.

"So there's no cure for Ranma," Ryoga mused, shooting the disguised redhead an apologetic look. "But what about us, Shampoo, Mousse and me, I mean? Combining our curses with the Nannichuan would go a long way in alleviating our helplessness!"

"Yeah!" Mousse agreed, nodding his assent.

"_And combining my curse with Nyannichuan would neutralise my weakness as well. Just claim I found the water when you were running an errand or something, hiba-chan. I'd take being a cat-girl over being a helpless little pussy-cat any time_," Shampoo exclaimed in her native tongue, her voice sounding as pleading as her dignity allowed.

Cologne sighed and seemed to fall into deep contemplation. "If what Ranma has to tell us is indeed as bad as I fear— and her agreeing to a pregnancy strongly indicates this," the matriarch finally mused in a pondering tone, "it is likely to affect us as well. Where you are concerned there are always warring parties and high stakes, Ranma—"

"Can't help that I'm popular," Ranma interjected with a wry smile that caused the boys and Shampoo to chuckle.

"And it is probably for the best to be well prepared," Cologne continued, giving Ranma a bop to the head for interrupting her, eliciting a muffled "Oww!". "I have Nannichuan and Nyannichuan available, and if you are willing to have cursed forms that resemble monsters, Hibiki-san, Mousse, great-granddaughter, I will give you access to it. Provided the future prospects make it needful," she concluded.

Mousse and Ryoga exchanged a look, turned their heads back at the matriarch and nodded eagerly. "I am willing," they exclaimed in unison, Shampoo agreeing in her usual lilt as well.

"Very well," Cologne replied with a solemn face. "Mousse, you will go to my room and enter my storage cupboard once I give you clearance. Hibiki-san will accompany you.

"_Xian Pu, I will take care of your curse myself should Ranma's story make it necessary. Your reasoning was sound, and you are deserving of the Nyannichuan. The maturity you displayed in the aftermath of the wedding and the restraint you showed, not to mention your handling of today's revelations speaks for itself. Don't thank me yet, though, the final decision is still pending,_" Cologne added in Mandarin.

Shampoo nodded solemnly. "Understand."

"Good. Mousse," she exclaimed, "you heard me. The Nannichuan is clearly labelled, but use your glasses, boy!"

"Yeah, yeah," Mousse replied, grumbling under his breath.

"I am just sad that there's nothing I can do for you, Ranma," Cologne said with a sigh. "But there's nothing that could help those afflicted with the Nyannichuan curse, except acceptance."

"Ain't exactly surprised, and don't really care any more. This form grew on me, literally," Ranma commented with a shrug as she let her hand wander over her belly, a small smile playing in the corners of her mouth.

Cologne nodded sagely. "Am I right to assume that your acceptance of yourself being both male and female stems from the pregnancy and the love for the child you are carrying?"

Every single attendee watched as a myriad of emotions played out on Ranma's face, and her eyes became unfocussed for a few moments. Slowly, deliberately she met the matriarch's eyes. "Yes, Elder. I love my daughter more than anything in the world, and I accepted the entirety of my curse when I accepted being her mother.

"Can anyone believe that," she added with a snort as her gaze switched from person to person, finally coming to rest on her 'ex-wife', "The big, badass macho Ranma Saotome saying something like that?"

Four heads collectively expressed their negative inclination through shakes of their heads. "No, Saotome," Mousse spoke up as he sipped his own tea. "The world must be coming to an end," he mused in a joking tone.

Everyone present flinched at the darkening of Ranma's face. "You have no idea how close to the truth you are, Mousse. No idea," she whispered darkly, sending chills up and down everyone's spines.

"Goddess," Cologne muttered with a shake of her head, "Please don't let it be as bad as I feel it is."

"But it is," a grave female voice said as the front door was pushed open.

-.-

Everyone turned to look at the new arrival—or rather arrivals considering that it had been Nabiki who had made the comment—and the middle Tendo sister returned the looks she was getting unflinchingly. The former Ice Queen of Furinkan High walked into the room shrouded in her usual aura of calm confidence, extending a greeting before heading straight for the facilities.

Kasumi let her youngest sibling pass her by and took it upon her to close the door seeing that Akane was carrying a certain someone and followed her sister into the serving area. the brown haired woman extended a friendly smile to the round—which couldn't help but to smile back—and took the free chair to Ranma's left. Most noticeable about her was that she had doffed the housedress and apron she had been wearing not twenty minutes ago in favour of black slacks and an white blouse. This little detail wasn't lost on anyone, and it was a grinning Ranma who raised the topic.

"Finally decided to show who wears the breeches, oneechan?" she inquired with a smirk, both hands resting on her belly.

"Yes, imoutochan," Kasumi replied with a smile of her own, her brown eyes glinting confidently. "It was long since overdue."

"And daddy deserves it," Akane scoffed, her face frowning as she walked past the table.

Ranma surveyed her ex-fiancée and stifled a giggle at the sight of Mr. Tendo. Akane had obviously taken it upon herself to carry her father, whom Ranma had only recognised due to the fact that she knew which Instant curse powder Cologne had left at the Tendo home so as to not arouse the suspicions of anyone who might be watching the house, and the cobalt haired girl dropped the pink, paralysed and unconscious poodle—who'd had his nose and butt shaved to add insult to injury—right next to the pandafied Genma. Mousse went to the kitchen without a word and returned with a bucket filled with hot water not a minute later, handing it to Akane who had been standing guard over the animalified fathers. The youngest Tendo girl nodded her thanks, took the offered bucket and threw its content onto the poodle under the watchful eyes of the others, making sure not to miss the panda either.

Cologne and Ranma communicated silently and agreed that the father's freedom of movement had to be restricted beyond just the paralysis points, and few moments later the two masters found themselves bound and gagged as well as propped up against a back-wall. Akane—who had insisted on helping Ranma and Cologne—gave her father a burning glare as she finished tying the knots, and the blue haired girl snorted derisively before walking back to the table, choosing the vacant chair to Mousse's right.

Nabiki chose that moment to return from the restrooms and took the chair beside her younger sister, giving her father a sidelong glance before looking at Kasumi. "I heard you were just talking about oneechan's emancipation. It was about damn time in my opinion. Daddy has passed himself off as an adult long enough. He has proven time and again that he won't stand up to his 'master', and we can just about forget about his meagre contributions to our finances stemming from his work for the city council. Not to mention that he all but abandoned us as a father over ten years ago.

"But what really broke the camel's back was your endeavour to kill Ranma's child, father. I will reserve my final judgement for after your attempt at an explanation. but whatever your explanation will be, daddy, know that you have lost a good deal of my respect, if not all of it," she finished with an icy glare, crossing her arms under her breasts as she watched her father shrink into himself.

Akane, who had helped herself to tea and some cookies fixed her father with a heated glare. "I admit I jumped to the wrong conclusions as well, daddy, but at least I didn't try to murder Ranma's daughter.

"And if I hear it was for the joining of the schools, I will be... displeased," she added with a snarl.

The attendees watched as Ranma favoured her own father with a glare that put everything Akane could ever hope to produce to shame, and it made the Saotome patriarch visibly flinch. "I will find out what drove ya to whatcha did, pops. Pray I'll find it to my liking," she snarled, her silver eyes shooting daggers at her father.

The widening of Soun's and Genma's eyes was the only visible indication of their growing nervousness, and both men probably asked themselves if facing Ranma's wrath might just be more painful than the truth serum...

-.-

"I would prefer hearing your tale before we question the males, Ranma," Cologne commented after Ranma had returned from a visit to the facilities, the matriarch's gaze coming to rest on the two bound and gagged males in question, her vicious grin making crystal clear they were not off the hook.

"I am convinced their actions are closely linked to what happened to you. Learning the entire extent of what you know might open their eyes to the truth as well," the Elder concluded.

"Is reason why Ai... Ranma pregnant really bad?" Shampoo inquired with a curious expression, unconsciously gnawing on her lower lip.

Ranma's head swivelled towards the Amazon, and her sad gaze robbed the young Amazon of her hopes that it wasn't. "It's worse, Shampoo. What I am about to tell you guys will likely shock you beyond reason.

"But I swear on my honour and on the life of my unborn daughter that it is nothing but the honest to goodness blasted truth," she said, switching the focus of her still silver eyes on the Elder.

Cologne inclined her head. "I have always respected your word, Ranma," she said softly. "I know you would not lie in all things important."

"Thanks, Elder," she said, a small smile upturning the corners of Ranma's mouth.

"This is not to leave these rooms," she added a few seconds later, her mood changing to utter seriousness as she gazed intently into the apprehensive and tense faces of the three Amazons. "You have to give me your word of honour, all three of you, that you'll only take measures once I have found a way to keep all of us safe."

"You seem to know what Saotome's talking about, Ryoga," Mousse muttered quietly to the lost boy. "Is she telling the truth?"

"It's not really my place to tell seeing that it's her story," Ryoga retorted and placed his cup onto the table, his expression changing from neutral to very serious, "But yes, it is true. Every damn word of it, man. I have seen damn good proof."

Cologne, whose sinking feeling had only gotten worse at hearing a rival of Ranma—or, more precisely, a former rival, she corrected herself—confirm the Saotome's words, sighed. "Even though I know I won't like what I'll be hearing, Ranma, I ask you to tell your story. My gut feeling tells me that the safety of the tribe is at stake, and I agree to your conditions," she said, an even deeper sigh escaping her lips as she looked into the grim face of her former son-in-law.

The much younger woman's eyes met the old matriarch's eyes, her own blue orbs unreadable as she inclined her head. "Your gut feeling is not betraying you, Cologne-san. Okay, here goes."

Seven heads suddenly turned around towards a sudden source of noise, it being the entrance door of the Nekohanten which had been opened with a bang.

"Figured I'd find you guys here," the newcomer muttered, a lopsided grin on her face. Her lean figure, the flowing long raven hair, her choice of clothing—it being a blue happi and black tights—as well as the leather bandolier and the giant combat spatula slung around her back made her easily identifiable.

The Saotome girl looked at the newcomer in surprise, surprise that slowly changed into elation. "Ucchan?"

-.-

"Do I know you?" Ukyo asked as she stepped into the restaurant.

Ranma turned her head towards Ryoga and pasted a hurt expression on her face. "Ryoga-niichan, you have been in Nerima how long? Two years? And you never told your friends about your cute lil sis? Brother mine, I'm hurt!" she whined.

Groans but also giggles ensued, and Ryoga sighed deeply. A split second later an evil grin lit up his face. "Do I need to spank you for embarrassing your big bro, imoutochan?" he asked with a raised brow that said two can play this game.

Ranma's hands actually went to her buttocks, remembering the spanking her poor bum had received when Ryoga had spanked her during the episode where she had pretended to be Ryoga's little sister Yoiko. "No thank you. It could damage important parts, bro." she replied with a large sweatdrop rolling down the back of her head.

Ukyo looked from 'brother' to 'sister'. "You Hibikis are weird," she commented.

"Actually, I am no Hibiki," Ranma admitted with a laugh. "Though Ryoga would make a fine big bro. To someone," she added with a grin.

Ryoga grinned back. "And you'd make an annoying but passable li'l sis, Ranma. To someone."

Said teen turned her head towards Ukyo and winked, her face twisting into her usual cocky grin. "Ranchan?" the chef queried, question marks floating above her head.

"Yeah, it's me, Ucchan. I'm just disguised to look like a relative of Ryoga," the raven haired girl replied, smiling slightly.

"Huh? And why didcha do that?" Ukyo wanted to know, her brows cocked in curiosity.

"Long story," Ranma sighed. "So, what brings you here?"

Ukyo shook her head to clear it, shrugging off yet another oddity in Ranma's life. "I saw Akane and her sisters walk in this direction, and she had never come here of her accord without a reason. Right, Ranma-honey?" she queried with a lopsided grin that caused Akane to scowl slightly.

The okonomiyaki chef closed the door behind her and extended a polite wave at the other attendees as she stepped into the room fully, but it was obvious that she had only eyes for Ranma.

"Take a seat, child," Cologne suggested, making an inviting gesture. "Ranma here was just about to tell us about yet another occurrence of the strange kind in her life."

Ukyo inclined her head and unstrapped her combat spatula, leaning it against the wall. She had just grabbed a wooden chair when what the Elder had said caught up to her. "Wait a sec... Did you just call Ranma 'Ranma' and referred to him as 'she'?" she inquired flabbergasted.

"Indeed I did, child," Cologne replied with a cackle.

Ukyo plopped down onto her chair and shook her head as if to clear it. "I've got the feeling that's gonna get really weird," she muttered quietly.

Ryoga snorted. "Hell yeah."

Ukyo looked from him to Ranma and back to Cologne. "So why didn't ya call Ranma-honey son-in-law?"

"That is connected to and an important part of Ranma's story," Cologne replied, her face completely serious. "I advise to take a good, long look at her, Kuonji-san. Use your senses and tell me what you see behind the disguise, and you might uncover the piece of the puzzle we already know."

Ukyo pouted and shot Cologne an annoyed look. "Aww come on guys, tell me already!" she whined.

Ranma grinned back at her. "No can do," she said, her grin turning teasing. "But I give you a hint, Ucchan, you must look underneath the underneath, like shinobi and kunoichi do."

Nabiki smirked. "And here I figured I was the only one to enjoy a good manga or two. You are always good for a surprise, Ranma," she drawled, giving the disguised redhead a wink. "But the hint is good, Kuonji-san, there are several things that have changed about Ranma-chan, the disguise notwithstanding."

"Yes, Kuonji-san, it might be a good idea to compare Ranma-chan's appearance as of now to what it was about six months ago. Pay attention to physical changes not concealed by the disguise," Kasumi remarked with a sly smile.

Ukyo absorbed the hints she was getting with a slow nod, noticing something odd. "You called Ranchan 'Ranma-chan', Kasumi. Normally you always call him 'Ranma-kun'. Why not now?" she asked, her voice filled with curiosity.

Kasumi actually smirked. "I have my reasons, Kuonji-san. Which, that is for me to know and you to find out. We gave you all the hints you need, and I admit it is quite fun to leave people guessing. I can see what you like about it, Nabiki-imoutochan," she concluded giggling.

Everyone invariably stared at Kasumi with wide eyes, and it was Ranma who broke the silence when she broke into a fit of giggles. "I… always knew… you had… it in… you, Kasumi-onee… chan," she managed between giggles, her face as red as a tomato from all the laughing.

Ukyo whereas narrowed her eyes because of the display and surveyed Ranma critically while said martial artist—who was still stifling giggles—had tilted her head to watch Ukyo. "So I have to compare Ranchan to what he looked like six months ago, that stupid disguise aside… Hmm, Ranma-honey, you've put on weight!" she said, exclaiming the first observation that occurred to her.

Ranma, who had observed her friend with an expectant look, frowned. "Put on weight, my cute li'l ass. She hasn't seen me in over six months and comments on my weight. Feh," the disguised redhead pouted with her hands on her hips as she leant forward in her chair to drill holes into Ukyo's head, causing everyone except Mousse and Ukyo to snicker in amusement. "What a nice thing to say to a girl," she added only half-jokingly.

"G-Girl? R-Ranma-honey?" Ukyo asked uncertainly, Ranma's unusual behaviour weirding her out. "What happened to you? Are you... Are you locked again?"

"You could say that," Ranma agreed. "But that's just another piece of the puzzle, as granny here put it," she added.

Ukyo looked from Cologne to Ranma, shaking her head. "What has being locked to do with Ranma-honey putting on weight?" she muttered to herself.

"Granny?" Cologne had inquired at the same time, looking questioningly—yet pleased at the same time—at the pregnant young woman.

Ranma shrugged. "Blame it on my hormones, granny. That, and our prior disagreements pale with regard to what's coming," she replied seriously.

The matriarch inclined her head, respect and affection glinting in her wizened eyes just long enough for Ranma to perceive it. "I'll do that, chóngsunnu," Cologne retorted with an amused look.

Mousse's and Shampoo's heads shot up at Cologne's usage of the Chinese word. "_You'll adopt husb… Ranma as your great-granddaughter, great-grandmother?_" the purple haired Amazon inquired with a look consisting of a mix of surprise, sadness and happiness.

The hidden weapons master was as surprised, but kept his thoughts to himself. **'If the old mummy were inclined to do so it'd really mean Saotome is no competition for me any longer! Hooray, my Xian-Pu is finally free! Soon my love and I will—'**

A sudden, severe blow to the right backside of the head stopped the thought processes of the Yaazuniichuan cursed Amazon rather abruptly and sent him sprawled out on the flooring, straight into la la land. Shampoo, who had used her speed to appear behind the sitting sometimes duck, innocently twirled her bonborri and shrugged as she reclaimed her seat. "Duck boy looking way too perverted. He had coming."

The others took it in stride, long being used to flare-ups of violence and random destruction. "To answer your question, great-granddaughter," Cologne said, catching Xian-Pu's attention, "yes, I am contemplating it. But I am interested in hearing her story first.

"Children," she added as she used her staff to jump onto the ground, "Make yourselves at home. I will be preparing more tea and snacks. Kuonji-san," her face acquired an amused look, "you should correlate Ranma's gain of weight and her being locked. You might arrive at interesting conclusions."

Ukyo looked at the retreating matriarch's back as she pogoed towards the kitchen like a kangaroo on crack. Shaking her head the chef shrugged, only to become acutely aware of everyone watching her. "Let's see… Ranma-honey gained weight… Hmm, yeah, his female form sure got broader hips and less of a waist. And... Hell! What happened to your bosom, Ranchan? Oh well, nothing some good training can't take care of."

Ranma grumbled audibly and her face darkened. "Treading thin ice here…" she muttered warningly.

Ukyo sweatdropped but chose to overlook the warning. Ranma didn't do angry, which meant she must have heard wrong. Yes, that had to be it, she had heard wrong and would continue this stupid guessing game. "Let's see what else… The other bit of information I have is that my Ranma-honey is locked. Now if I correlate that…"

"Yes?" everyone in the room—except Mousse, who'd yet to return from his trip to never never land—urged.

"Can that be?" Ukyo breathed, and everyone assumed she'd figured it out. "Is it that time of the month for you, Ranma-honey? Is that why you're locked?" she added, and everyone face-vaulted.

"It's not that unreasonable for her to arrive at that conclusion. Ranma-chan has a fully functional female body," Nabiki pointed out.

"And the hormones that come with it," Ryoga added with a solemn look, only to receive a bop to the head from the young woman in question for his efforts. "See? That proves it," he added smugly, and received yet another—this time playful—bop.

"You HAVE a period?" Ukyo inquired with a baffled expression.

"Yes," Ranma admitted with a feint blush.

That admittance caused quite the stir, especially among the fathers whose eyes had widened to the size of dinner plates.

"I can't believe it," Ukyo exclaimed with a disbelieving shake of her head, making everyone look at her. "And who explained the facts of life to you, Ranma-honey?" she inquired.

The martial artist, now having the misfortune of being in the limelight, looked like a caged tiger and shot Kasumi a pleading look for help. The oldest Tendo sibling got the message loud and clear, and smiled back reassuringly at Ranma. "That would have been me," she spoke up, making the others focus on her. "Let's just say Ranma-chan came to me one day in near hysterics—"

"Ahem," Ranma interrupted, indignantly clearing her throat.

"Sorry, Ranma-chan, in full hysterics," Kasumi corrected herself with a mischievous smile, eliciting chuckles from everyone bar Ranma, "Thinking that she had taken internal injury."

"A logical assumption given the facts she had at the time," Cologne commented as she returned from the kitchen, balancing a trayful of cookies and a pot of tea.

Kasumi was about to get to her feet to help the matriarch, but Akane shook her head, giving her sister a smile. "Please continue your tale, sis. I will help."

"I'll help as well," Ukyo exclaimed, giving Akane a glare, thinking that she was doing it to get 'her' Ranma for herself.

Akane ignored the glare due to its meaninglessness to her and began serving tea, and between the two girls everyone was enjoying tea and cookies in under a minute. Cologne, who was pogoing back into the kitchen was the only exception bar Mousse, who had yet to re-awaken.

Kasumi looked into the round, smiling slightly as she reminisced about Ranma's menarche. "I will not violate imoutochan's privacy by telling you any more," she said, causing several disappointed exclamations, "But there's not much more to add anyway. I explained the facts of life to Ranma-imoutochan, and she has lived with it like any other female in the world."

"True, Kasumi-chan, but if you hadn't explained it to me I'd likely have died of embarrassment. Heck, I've never been more embarrassed in my life than on that one day," Ranma admitted with a blush.

Soft blushes crept on the faces of the other females as well, each reminiscing about how it had been for them. "Was the same for me," Akane admitted, her face slightly red as well.

Ukyo boggled. **'What the fuck is going on here!'** the okonomiyaki chef screamed inside her mind. **'Akane not calling Ranma-honey a pervert after that admission, no malleting, nothing? What is this, the twilight zone or what?'**

"I guess it was that way for all of us," Kasumi added, smiling softly. "And I doubt this special rite of passage leaves anyone cold."

Ranma nodded at the older girl, a thankful smile playing in the corners of her mouth. "Thanks for all you did, oneechan. Back then as well as today."

"You're welcome, imoutochan," Kasumi replied, her smile mirroring Ranma's.

Ukyo boggled throughout the whole exchange, her expression resembling that of a fish out of the water as her astonishment about the change in dynamics grew.

-.-

The Elder re-entered the serving area a few moments later, a steaming plate of soup in her right hand, the staff in her left. she handed the plate to a surprised Ranma who swallowed her cookie and took the offered plate, placing it in front of herself. "What's that?" she inquired, giving it a sniff.

"That you will find out once Kuonji-san has correctly guessed your condition," Cologne cackled. "I just hope she figures it out before the soup has chilled so much that it doesn't unfold its full taste and properties."

"No fair," Ranma grumbled, giving the matriarch the puppy-dog-eyes, but Cologne's amused look gave nothing away. "So hurry up already, Ucchan, that stuff smells great and I'm hungry," she added, her stomach punctuating the statement with a loud growl.

"Ranma-honey, haven't you learned anything from your past mistakes?" Ukyo inquired with a sigh. "That could be something to get you chained to Shampoo!"

The Amazons didn't even bat a lash at the insult, and Ranma's only response to Ukyo's serious statement was a chuckle. "No worries there. Shampoo ain't my 'wife' any more," she replied, causing a sad expression to appear on the Amazon's beautiful face, "and won't take up the position, ever. And to give you another newsflash, the Tendo-Saotome agreement is a case for the rubbish heap as well. I will not fulfil it, and neither Akane, Nabiki nor Kasumi-oneechan."

That statement caused solemn nods from the Tendo sisters and furious looks from Genma and Soun, who could only rage impotently in their paralysed states.

"Before you get your hopes up," Ranma added at seeing Ukyo's gleeful look, "figure out what's changed about me. Then I'll tell you and everyone else my story. And to give you another clue, I ain't got my period and won't be getting it for a good, long time."

Ukyo took another home baked treat and slowly munched on it, going over the facts laid out before her. When the answer came to her she actually choked on her cookie. Shampoo lent a helping hand and patted the chef on the back, and Cologne handed Ukyo a glassful of water, thus helping along her recovery.

"You… You are pregnant?" Ukyo finally gasped out after she had gulped the water down, a look of stark disbelief on her face.

Ranma met the disbelieving and downright shocked look of her oldest childhood friend unflinchingly. "Yeah, Ucchan. It's gonna be a girl, and now that you've found out I can finally sample that tasty smelling soup. Took you long enough," she remarked in a mock-chiding tone.

"Excuuuse me. Ain't every day I have to guess that my fiancé—my fiancé, for Kami-sama's sake!—is pregnant and gonna be the mom of a little girl!" Ukyo barked, obviously more than just a little peeved.

"Jeez, no need to rip my head off," Ranma retorted with a shrug of her shoulders. "But you will understand once I told you what happened, which will be once I've eaten. Granny?"

"This soup, Ranma, is a traditional speciality to strengthen mother and child. It's another well renowned talisman in our tribe, and my mother prepared it for me as well back when I was pregnant," Cologne replied with a reminiscing and slightly wistful expression.

Had anyone else made that claim Ranma would have discarded it. It being Cologne who had claimed that she just nodded respectfully and dug in with gusto after she had received no warning from her daughter. The soup was much to Ranma's liking, tasting of several different herbs which gave the soup a fresh taste, but she could not detect which herbs had been used. It was spicy at the same time which complemented her love for hot foods, yet the soup was not too spicy so as to cause heartburn.

The pregnant martial artist polished the plate off in under two minutes and unsurprisingly asked for a second helping of the delicious soup, a hopeful look in her big sapphire eyes that made everyone bar Ukyo—who had yet to recover from the shock—smile.

"Behold the puppy-dog-eyes of doom. Feared by vendors all around for a good reason," Nabiki commented dryly, causing amusement all around.

A chuckling Cologne obliged all too gladly to Ranma's request and supplied her with another dishful of soup, and when the disguised redhead dug in for a second time everyone wondered if her child would inherit the infamous Saotome appetite, invariably coming to the conclusion that the likely answer was yes.

Few minutes later Ranma leaned back in her chair, full and satisfied. An expectant air had sprung up as soon as she had finished eating, and everyone waited for her tale to unfold. Ranma, fully aware of what her audience craved, looked intently from face to face, then she took a deep breath and began to sum up what had happened to her in the last half year, and her listeners—including Mousse, who had been reawakened by Cologne so that Ranma wouldn't have to tell her tale twice—listened with rapt attention...

-.-

Silence reigned supreme in the serving area of the Nekohanten after Ranma had finished her tale. The raven haired girl had left nothing out, just as she had promised. Ryoga and the Tendo sisters, who knew the story of what had happened to Ranma in the last half year—and had helped Ranma in explaining things like the rapid aging process Ranma's daughter would go through and the reasons for it—watched the three Amazons and Ukyo for reactions, and they noticed that they reacted much like they had. Anger, disbelief and pity were the prevalent reactions after the surprise had been overcome. Ukyo was yet again cursing the Saotome Clan, not surprisingly, and excused herself for a visit to the restrooms to get the bad taste the name 'Saotome' had left out of her mouth.

Ryoga and Mousse had withdrawn from the table to discuss the implications, both boys agreeing that their feud with Ranma had come to an end, once and for all. The myopic Amazon boy had no doubts that Ranma's story was true, one look at her as well as at Nabiki—who was presently standing behind the redhead with a very serious expression on her face as she watched the attendees for reactions—told him that with frightening clarity.

That his Shampoo was currently hugging Ranma—who was yet again drinking from that yellow water bottle of hers, much to his amusement—and crying silent tears did not bother him at all. Yesterday he would have screamed bloody murder and attacked the Saotome youth upon seeing his Shampoo cry, but now, with his current knowledge everything was changed. Ryoga was right, their feud with Saotome was over, and he felt relaxed around Ranma Saotome for the first time in two years. He, or rather she was no no longer a threat to his perfect love with Shampoo, and should his Shampoo decide to support the Saotome—and it certainly looked that way—he would follow her lead.

Pushing his hands up the sleeves of his robe Mousse watched the others, taking in the caring and worried expressions of the girls. It was still incomprehensible how Ranma had managed to wrap so many gorgeous girls around his little finger, but looking back at it with eyes unclouded by jealousy and his single-minded focus to win Shampoo from Saotome's vile clutches he came to a startling conclusion: Saotome had never really encouraged them. True, he had always strived for affection and recognition and could not deal with rejection as had been revealed throughout the incident with the blasted reversal jewel, but that probably had to do with the way he had been raised. He—now she—had never taken advantage of the many girls throwing themselves at him/her, he could see that now.

He would have to dwell on the insights he had gained today, but one thing was becoming more and more clear: Saotome was much more of an honourable person than he had thought—not least for going through with something that threatened to make him puke any time he thought about it—and supporting the boy turned girl in this would ensure him brownie points with Shampoo as well. All in all a win-win situation for him, the Amazon youth realised with a smirk.

-.-

Cologne had been hard pressed to keep her calm during Ranma's tale, and the old matriarch of the Joketsuzoku had been very glad that she had guarded against any eventuality. The magical wards as well as the other safety measures Ranma had asked for had been a wise precaution indeed with regard to the involvement of the Sailor Senshi.

"How reliable is your information, Ranma?" Cologne finally asked after long moments of thought from her cross-legged position on the table, drowning out the others. "Could it all be a ruse?"

Ranma shook her head and placed her bottle on the table, and she could feel the eyes of the matriarch searching her face. The raven haired girl sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I thought they were raving nuts when they told me what they got planned, but I've seen photos, scans 'n' any other proof. That big rock exists, and it's gonna kill a whole friggin' bunch o' people. If my little girl don't stop it.," she said and stroked her belly, a loving look playing on her face.

Shampoo smiled due to the loving gesture. "Aire… Ranma be good mother," she commented as she sat back down in her own chair.

Ranma shrugged and gave the Amazon a lop-sided grin. "I can only hope."

Her smile turned grim as her gaze travelled through the room and came to rest upon the fathers, who were both wide-eyed and pale. "Could you disable the pressure points, granny? I think now would be a good time to question _them_," she said in a serious tone, and walked over to her father, removing the gag from his mouth.

"Of course, chóngsunnu." Cologne agreed and pogoed over to the wall the two fathers were propped up against. Her staff blurred and coughs emanated from Soun and Genma moments later.

Ranma, who had carefully watched Cologne, towered over her father who was still recovering from his coughing fit and stared him directly into the eyes, her silver eyes drilling holes into his cranium. "Why?" she asked harshly, not managing more than that one word.

"Counter question, boy. Who tells me you haven't been brainwashed by your mother's Clan?" Genma retorted in a demanding voice, trying to keep a brave facade.

It was willpower alone that enabled Ranma to remain in control of her emotions. Just a minute flash of silver lightning and her pissed off face betrayed her struggle. After taking a few calming breaths to regain control of herself Ranma blurred and hit the paralysis points yet again.

"That's so that you listen and I be uninterrupted, you jerk. You never really understood the 'I talk, you listen,' part very well, and this move is just so nifty," she snapped, closing her eyes to regain her equilibrium.

"That it is indeed. And so easy to use for able people," Cologne smirked, twirling her staff in a meaningful way.

"Way to go, Ranchan!" Ukyo, who had long since reclaimed her chair, exclaimed gleefully. "Now let us get down to why the jackass did it. Betcha it was to bring Akane 'n' you together."

Ranma massaged her temples, keeping her eyes closed. "Maybe, but that I'll find out," she drawled and opened her eyes to reveal their still silver colour. "Well, where to begin... Oh yeah, you were probably alluding to my enjoying this 'unnaturalness' or some such shit, right? Don't look so surprised, your face told me everything, pops. You would expect me to hate my daughter, doncha? But you have no idea, no idea at all," she breathed in barely a whisper.

"You have no idea what it feels like to feel her growing inside of me, what it felt like to feel her first motions, her first kicks," Ranma continued in a far-away voice, drawing everyone in. "I had no idea either, and I'd never have thought I'd come to accept being pregnant. But I do. Mind you, I won't try for a second kid, never, but carrying Senny ain't the abhorrence I thought it would be. You change inside when you're pregnant, pops, it's inevitable. Hormones 'n' stuff, I've been told. Doncha worry, I won't start likin' guys, but I will be a mother. If you can't hack with that, tough."

Ranma smiled due to the supporting exclamations she was getting from most of the others behind her back, and a smile made its way on her face. She blurred again and hit the counterpoints she had observed Cologne use.

Then she stepped back and placed her hands on her hips, favouring her coughing father with a stern glare. "I was neither brainwashed nor drugged, and if you don't believe me I can't help it. That's as far as I'm concerned. Now to you. Why did you try to kill my daughter, 'unnaturalness' aside?" Ranma queried, her narrowed silver eyes demanding answers.

Genma sighed, his before stoic face falling. "I must know, Ranma, is what you have told us really the truth? How can I be sure you haven't been brainwashed?"

"You can't. But wouldn't I have stayed with mom and... the others to stay safe had I been brainwashed? Yet I escaped and did everything in my power to... elude capture, one would call it," Ranma drawled.

Ryoga—who had avidly watched the interrogation from his position a few centimetres away from Genma and Soun—stepped at Ranma's side. "Her story is true, Genma," he snarled, his angry face inches away from the older man's. "We fought our way through the ranks of the Sailor Scouts who ranted some shit about Ranma carrying a demon spawn. We have encountered and fought demons in the past, and Ranma's aura ain't showing any signs.

"Heck, her developing magic proves what she said. And the involvement of the Senshi and what they claimed, not to mention Ranma's own experiences prove that this Asteroid exists. It's gonna hit Earth, and you can refuse to believe it all you want, it ain't gonna change one bit. It'll just offer further proof that you're an incorrigible fool. Ranma whereas doesn't need to prove anything, she already has."

Ranma gave the lost boy a small smile. "Thanks, buddy. Now to my questions. Why?" she asked, turning her full attention back to her father, her face a mask of carefully construed neutrality that hid the raging storm of emotions warring inside of her.

Genma let a laboured sigh escape his lips and his face fell even more, betraying that he believed the teens. Then he righted himself up as much as his bounds allowed. "I know saying that I'm sorry won't help, Ranma, but I'll say it anyway. I am sorry, truly and deeply sorry. I believed the story of someone I took for an agent of the crown, and the 'facts' she fed Soun and me made the most sense in regards to why you were willingly carrying the baby."

Ranma kept a neutral expression on her face and ignored the surprised expressions of her friends as she focussed exclusively on her father. She was going over what he had said in her mind, and most surprising to her was that Genma's voice had held an undertone she had seldom heard in his voice: genuine regret and sorrow. He was—as far as she could tell—honest to goodness sorry.

"You are right, pops, sorry doesn't cut it. But I'd like to hear more of what this 'agent' told you, what she looked like, everything. Leave nothing out," Ranma commanded, her face remaining completely expressionless as if it had been carved out of ice.

Genma nodded his head, the intent stare of his daughter chilling him to the bone, effectively eradicating any intention he had had to hold back information. "Of course," he agreed with repeated nods of his head. "It all began when Soun 'n' me were enjoying a few drinks in that bar, the 'Red Dragon'..."

-.-

It had taken Genma ten minutes to tell his tale to a captivated audience, and everyone present believed it without a second thought. Anyone who knew the fathers knew that they were easily influenced where the joining of the schools and dangers to it—real or imagined—were concerned. The agent—as to whose identity Ranma had a very good guess but no proofs—had played them masterfully.

The demon part now made sense to Ranma, yet she—like everyone else—couldn't believe the gullibility of the fathers. But she was oddly touched—almost against her will—as well that her father had done it to make it up to her, to try to make amends for his past (mis)deeds. He had been driven by the want to look out for her for a change, but he had made every mistake imaginable in his approach, had allowed himself to be used. His intentions hadn't been—just—selfish, though. Ranma understood why he had done it, could even follow her father's logic on an abstract level, yet it was the emotional level that couldn't let him—and Soun—off the hook.

Akane, Nabiki and Kasumi were berating their own father for being so foolhardy at the same time as Ranma was trying to find a solution that would take both her father's well meant actions as well as the almost fatal consequences into account. The disguised girl walked back to her chair, her father's eyes never leaving her as she well noticed, and plopped down into it, massaging her temples as soon as she had propped up her elbows on the table.

Conversation at the table continued to discuss the motives of the fathers and their credibility, and it made it impossible for Ranma to focus. After a few minutes of trying to focus she got to her feet and began to pace through the room, and the others interrupted their conversations briefly to look at her only to resume their discussions once it had been ascertained that Ranma was alright.

The Saotome girl came to a stop close to another table, shrugged and plopped down into one of the chairs. True, she thought as she massaged her temples, the fathers had committed a great blunder that had nearly killed Senny, but their motivation had been—amongst things—to free her from this 'demonic pregnancy'. She believed her father in this, auras couldn't lie. But what to do?

She would have to drive home the point that non-thinking, impulsive acts based on inaccurate and dangerous information was something she did not, could not tolerate where the safety of her child—and her own—was concerned. The raven haired girl nodded to herself as an idea began to form in her mind, her neutral expression giving way to a wicked grin. Provided Lemuria offered the prerequisites it would be ideal indeed. It would hit Genma—and Soun as well—where it hurt most, his laziness and lack of discipline where his own persona was concerned. Yes, that would work well, but she would have to clear it with Senny first. Her daughter was bound to know.

Her brief mischievous grin gave way to a look of concentration, and slipping into the trance that acted as the gateway to bring her into the dreamscape came easily. Blinking her eyes open she looked into the silver-blue eyes of her daughter, and had time to blink before finding herself in a hug. Ranma smiled and let herself fall into the soft embrace, and her right hand reached up on its own accord and started caressing her daughter's right cheek. Looking up into the softly smiling face of her girl Ranma's own smiling face began to sport a mischievous grin, her eyes sparkling.

"You up for some payback against the panda?" she asked, her grin becoming so evil her father would have run for the hills had he been able to see it.

Senny sported a matching grin, rubbing her hands with a maniacal gleam in her eyes. "What did you have in mind, mom?"

-.-

"What is Ranma doing?" Soun inquired, speaking the first coherent sentence since Cologne had neutralised the paralysis after Ranma had finished talking to her father.

Ryoga's head swivelled towards the Tendo patriarch and laced him with a frown. "She is using the method she described to contact her daughter," he explained, his frown giving way to a scowl. "The very same daughter you morons tried to kill. The very same daughter that is Earth's last and only hope to survive as it is."

Soun's head had progressively sunk lower and lower until it was completely bowed, and Genma—who'd been avidly watching his son turned daughter—had mirrored his friend, a look of shame on his round face.

"I think they have been sufficiently chastised," Kasumi commented with a neutral expression, her ever-present obliviousness missing for once. "I also think they have understood the follies of their actions."

Nabiki looked over at her older sister, a frown marring her features. "Do you really think those two windbags have grasped the severity of what they very nearly did?" she asked, her tone holding a heavy dose of incredulity.

"WAAAAAAAAAH! My daughter hates me!" Soun wailed, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"And she as much as Akane and Kasumi would have every reason to, Tendo, old friend. Just as my Ranma would have every right and reason to hate me," Genma spoke up in a quiet tone devoid of emotions, his eyes closed and his expression sad and regretful to equal parts.

Him speaking up so unexpectedly had interrupted several biting and angry comments to Soun's display, and it had effectively stolen the thunder of at least Nabiki, Akane and Ryoga. The Amazons—being as surprised as the rest—just leaned back and watched with interest.

"What?" Soun finally managed to ask in a baffled tone—tears still spilling down his cheeks—clearly not able to believe what he'd just heard.

Genma opened his eyes and turned his head over to his left where his oldest friend was propped up against the wall. "Soun, old friend, it's really time you stopped that crying act. Don't you see that no one is receptive to it? It never worked on angry females back in the days, why should it be different now?" he inquired with a sigh.

Soun swallowed as he remembered the various times he had tried to earn the sympathy of angry mobs of females hunting them—for something the master had done, of course—and tried to come up with just one point in time when it had been successful against righteous female fury, but try as he might, the Tendo patriarch drew blanks. The master of the Tendo school realised the logic behind Genma's words and stopped the crying, a deep sigh escaping his lips.

"It had a prayer of working when Kasumi was still sympathetic, Soun, but your oldest is angry as well, and with just reason." Genma continued with another, this time even more laboured sigh and bowed his head yet again.

The master of the Saotome school was acutely aware of the watchful eyes resting on him, but he didn't care. for once in his life he would not run away from his messes, his responsibilities. He remembered the look Ranma had had in his eyes when he had gone toe to toe with the 'master' in their confrontation on the streets of Nerima all too well. it had been a look filled with respect, respect for him trying to deal with a mess he had had a part in. This mess here was his as well and was much more personal, and he would do his best to patch things up. If he had a chance left.

Taking another deep breath Genma looked up to meet the eyes of Soun's daughters and Ryoga, seeing varying emotions in them. curiosity, apprehension but distrust as well. He couldn't really fault them, his track record didn't really speak in his favour. But he would say what he had to say anyway. It was time to face up to his sins.

"Old friend," he began in a grave voice, his head slowly turning to his left to focus on Soun, "we have to face up to what we unwittingly did. We committed a huge folly when we listened to that 'agent' and acted on the information we had without double-checking. we believed what we wanted to believe without considering alternatives, and it very nearly cost my unborn grandchild her life."

Painful sounding thuds emanated from the table as jaws impacted the ground due to supreme facevaults. It was just so out of character for Genma to admit fault, but maybe it was the enormity of what their actions could have caused that had torn down the inner walls of Ranma's father. That, or the pod people had invaded without them noticing.

"Don't get me wrong," Genma continued and looked from face to face, finally coming to rest on his daughter who was in a deep looking trance, "I don't like it one bit that my cursed son carries my first grandchild and will be its mother instead of its father, but it's not the boy's fault. He did what his sense of honour dictated, and I blame my in-laws for subjecting my child to what he's going through.

"I can respect what Ranma did and I understand his motives, but in hindsight I can't justify our motives, Soun. When we tried to kill a baby—acting on information we blindly believed because it suited our view on things—we sinned against our code. A martial artist protects the weak, and it took me nearly killing my granddaughter to remember it," Genma concluded, tears streaming down his cheeks.

The silence that ensued after Genma had stopped speaking was so absolute that one would have heard a needle drop, and it took Soun as well as anyone else a few seconds to process what Ranma's father had said and that he had meant every single syllable of it.

Soun shook his head as if to clear it after he had absorbed Genma's words. "But what of the joining of the schools?" he asked, disbelief coating his voice as he stared at his old friend with a deep frown.

Genma motioned his head over to where Soun's daughters were sitting. "I don't think I have to translate what those snorts of your daughters mean, do I, Soun? The joining of the schools can wait, it is not as important as what is at stake here. I believe what Ranma told me, Soun, I know the boy, he could not lie to save his life. If he says there's a giant rock heading for Earth that'll wipe out most of humanity then it is so. I didn't doubt him when he said he would unlock his curse and I didn't doubt him when he said he could beat Ryu Kumon.

"Besides, if they don't manage to destroy that Asteroid there won't be any schools left to join anyway, old friend. And," Genma emphasised, "we never specified which generation had to join the schools. Give it a rest, old bud, I know I have."

Soun turned his head away from Genma and leant it against the wall, a look of deep contemplation on his face. The looks his daughters had shot him when he had just mentioned the joining of the schools strongly suggested that they were absolutely unwilling to see it through. Ranma was likely as opposed to another wedding attempt, and what Genma had said rung true: what was there to join if this big chunk of rock killed them all?

He finally looked up a full minute later and let a laboured sigh escape his lips. "The joining of the schools is postponed," he uttered in a strained tone, as if in great pain, twin streams of tears pooling from his eyes.

But the beaming and relieved looking faces of his daughters were enough to convince Soun of the rightness of his decision, yet he saw in their eyes that it would be a hard and very rocky road to travel until he would have regained their trust. But it was a road worth travelling, and he would face every hardship head on.

Genma was happy as well, even though his exterior didn't show it. the balding man turned his head and fixed his fellow master with a weak, but heartfelt smile. "I know how hard that was, Soun. But it was the right thing. It is a start at making it up to our children, and even if we unwittingly tried to do what we thought was best, ignorance is no excuse for what we did, Tendo, old friend. We very nearly killed an innocent baby. My granddaughter," he said gravely.

For once Soun Tendo, often nicknamed 'Fountain-sama' by those exaggerating his penchant for crying, cried real tears as he realised just what they had very nearly done, but in contrast to any other time his tears dried up when a look of firm resolve appeared on his face. "You are right, Genma. We did something truly foolish," he admitted in a voice barely above a whisper. "I will apologise to Ranma as soon as is opportune, and I will accept his decision on a punishment. So speakest I, Tendo Soun."

"That's a start if I ever saw one," Ryoga commented into the silence that had descended upon the room, and choruses of 'Hear, hear's' sealed the fathers promises to try and undo the damage they had done.

-.-

Ranma had given her daughter a quick rundown as to why her father had acted the way he had in the meantime, and was aware of the silver-blue eyes of her daughter watching her incredulously as she absorbed everything she had heard. The older redhead—now back in her true form—leaned against the wooden southern wall of the dojo, and Ranma was still surprised how real everything felt in this dreamscape. The feel of wood against the back of her head and back felt as real as in the real world, and the comforting sounds of bird song made her smile.

"You won't let gramps get off the hook without paying him back, will you, momma?" Senny asked in a voice that suggested she would be very disappointed if she did, her scowl matching her tone to a tee.

The redhead rolled her shoulders, pitching her weight away from the wall she had been leaning against and gave her daughter an incredulous look. "Are you kidding? I already said I had a plan… I just gotta know if Lemuria offers what would be required."

"Good. What do you wanna know, mom?" Senny inquired eagerly, her mouth spewing out the words nearly too fast for Ranma to understand properly.

Ranma's face twisted into an evil grin as soon as she had deciphered Senny's words. "Well, I know pops and Mr. Tendo did what they did 'cause they thought they'd be 'delivering me from this unnaturalness' and 'kill the demon spawn', you demon spawn, you," she said with a giggle, affectionately ruffling her daughter's hair which caused Senny to giggle as well, content expressions on both redhead's faces, "But fact remains that they're idiots that need to learn to think before they act.

"That's why I wanna know… Could we put them through some kinda modified combat training once we get to Lemuria? you know, they have both become rather complacent and lazy, especially in the last two years. I wish Lemuria had some kinda academy where I could push them through the grinder. The lazy idiots would learn something useful for a change if we pushed them through tactical training in addition to physical exercises. we could finally subject them to some training that teaches them to use their brains for something other than their schemes. But I fear something like that doesn't exist," the redhead concluded with a sad sigh.

"On the contrary, mom. If I remember everything correctly then I may have the perfect thing… Lemuria has facilities for just such training, or rather, it had one. I don't know what became of it, but we will know for sure once we find the city," Senny replied with glee in her voice.

Ranma smirked, her eyes glittering with barely suppressed anticipation. "Great! I'm glad that you like my idea, dear. And I can hardly wait to reach Lemuria…"

"Me neither, mom," Senny said, and hugged her mother to her. "Take care, momma, you'll do great, I know it. Love you."

The smaller redhead returned the hug with equal strength, and asked herself for the umpteenth time how someone could love another person so much. "Love ya too," she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling from overflowing emotions.

Ranma gave her daughter a kiss to the forehead and a loving smile, then she concentrated on the real world and felt the familiar pull that whisked her away to the real world.

-.-

Ranma's re-emergence in the real world came as swift as ever. She blinked her eyes several times so as to adjust them to the ambient light and let a small grin escape her control. it seemed she could spend hours in the dreamscape, and 'wake up' in the real world barely seconds—sometimes minutes, as in this case—having slipped by. The only reason she had not visited her daughter more often than once per day plus her unannounced visits was the very real 'danger' that it would give her daughter even more opportunity to girlify her, something Senny liked to do every single time she visited. That, and she had decided early on that she couldn't and wouldn't neglect the real world.

She got to her feet and slowly walked over to the table the others were seated at, silently giggling to herself due to all the evil training she would push the fathers through. She immediately took in the serious faces of the fathers as she passed them by, and wondered what had happened in the time she had been 'out of touch'.

"What's up with the serious face, pops? Did granny give you a lemon to suck on, or what?" she inquired in an attempt at humour as she sat down on the chair she had vacated minutes before.

Cologne got to her feet at the same time and used her staff to jump to the ground, Ranma giving her a questioning look which the matriarch countered with a veiled smile.

"I suppose you wonder at the lack of response from your father, don't you?" the Elder inquired, an amused expression on her face. Upon Ranma's nod Cologne actually cackled. "The males are asleep, chóngsunnu. It is a side-effect of the paralysis pressure points that its victims fall asleep very sudden, their last facial expression being practically imprinted on their faces. They are literally sleeping with open eyes," she explained, a humorous glint in her eyes.

"Granny, wake them up, or at least pops!" Ranma urged. "You don't wanna hear him snoring! Trust me, you don't."

"Better wake daddy up as well. He can be as bad as 'uncle'," Akane added, eliciting agreeing nods and comments from her sisters.

Cologne mused that her chóngsunnu and her friends knew what they were talking about, and snoring males were… well, even more annoying than they were normally. Ranma had been on the road with her father for over ten years after all, and the Tendo sisters knew their father best. Thus she quickly went to work and woke the two men up with carefully applied pressure points. Genma and Soun practically shot up from their slumber and looked around wildly, and Cologne turned back to Ranma.

"Danger averted," she commented with a grin.

"You can say that again, granny," Ranma replied, making a gesture as if wiping sweat from her forehead. "Now I can find out what got pops into such a serious mood without having to raise him from a snoring fest."

"Tendo, you got an idea what they're talking about?" Genma questioned in confusion.

"Not the foggiest, Saotome. But I think Ranma will want to know what happened while he was 'out'," Soun replied.

"You betcha," Ranma agreed, hands planted on her hips.

"Children," Cologne spoke up, looking at Mousse and Shampoo, "I require your help in the kitchen."

"But great-grandmother…" Shampoo began to protest, "Is just get interesting! I—"

"Now!" Cologne barked with her ki backing her voice, making Mousse and Shampoo bolt to their feet while everyone aside from Ranma shuddered. "_This is a very personal matter, and our sister deserves to settle this affair in private. Do I make myself clear?_"

"Yes, great-grandmother," Shampoo replied with her head bowed as she listlessly trudged towards the kitchen, Mousse following her at some distance to get a good look at her firm backside and hopefully up her skirt.

A quick bop to the head courtesy of Cologne's staff took care of that. "Stop staring and get to work, boy, or we might be serving duck for dinner," she threatened.

Mousse grumbled and rubbed the sore spot on his head where a good sized lump was forming, but otherwise obeyed, and soon the young Amazons had disappeared to the kitchen, leaving just the matriarch in the serving area.

"We will be preparing some specialities, I am sure you will find a way to keep yourselves busy," she said and paused, looking at Ukyo as if something had just occurred to her. "Kuonji-san, wouldn't you like to contribute to the dinner? Ranma needs decent sized meals, I am sure she would appreciate some okonomiyaki," Cologne suggested.

Ukyo mulled this over for a few moments and nodded then with a smile forming on her face. "You are right, sugar. I'll set up camp in the kitchen and Ranchan will be enjoying tasty okonomiyaki in no time. A great idea you had there," she replied with a grin, getting to her feet.

Cologne inclined her head. "This 'old ghoul' is still good for a good idea or two," she cackled and pogoed towards the kitchen, leaving a sweatdropping Ukyo to follow.

-.-

Two Saotomes and four Tendos—the respectively oldest of them bound and propped up against the same wall they had been leaning against for the last hour—had the whole of the serving area to themselves. Ryoga had excused himself as well, and Cologne had led the lost boy towards the kitchen to 'help'.

"That was weird," Ranma commented with a shrug, trying to get comfortable in her chair which had been re-arrayed next to Kasumi's chair to her left and Nabiki's as well as Akane's chair to her right, forming a half-circle around the table so that the four girls were facing the fathers.

"Not at all, Ranma-chan," Kasumi replied with a smile at the younger girl, "Cologne was so kind as to give us the privacy she thinks we deserve, and she simply convinced the others to go along by using pretences."

"Ahh," Ranma mused, nodding in understanding as her sisters were looking incredulously at Kasumi, who just smiled innocently as if she hadn't just completely dropped her image of obliviousness, "That makes sense. So what did happen to pops? Did granny give him a lemon to chew on or what?"

Helping herself to some cookies and tea Ranma looked into the round and encountered amused looks, but it was a low chuckle from Nabiki that drew her attention. "One could say it was self-imposed, Ranma. Here, listen to this recording and you'll understand," she said and handed Ranma her DAT recorder complete with ear phones. "It's much more efficient and time saving than telling you verbally."

The disguised redhead nodded in acceptance and took the offered DAT recorder, operating it correctly after familiarising herself with the buttons. Ranma started to play the recording after inserting the ear phones, her face a mask of stone as she listened to what she had missed out on, ignoring the watchful eyes of the others as she immersed herself into a state of absolute concentration. The recording ended with her father's words, leaving out Soun Tendos' declaration that he'd make it up to Ranma, and said girl surveyed her father with an evaluating look.

"If you really meant it, pops—and your tone suggests it—I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt," she began, her face acquiring a stern look as she saw hope blossom on her father's face. "However, it is not likely that I will forgive the attempt on my baby any time soon. I am her mother, and do you have any idea how I felt when I learned that you had tried to kill my daughter?" Ranma inquired with tears suddenly streaming down her cheeks as she slowly lost control of her emotions.

Genma looked as if he wanted to crawl under a rock and die, thoughts of reprimanding his child for this blatant display of emotions not even entering his mind. "I'm sorry, Ranma, so very sorry, and I will do everything to make it up, son," he said in a voice that was filled with truthfulness.

Everyone watched as Ranma wiped tears away from her cheeks and out of her eyes, her watery gaze locked on her father. "That's a start. I don't wanna kick ya outta my life, pops, I want that you can see your granddaughter once I have given birth to her. I don't wanna kick you outta my life, you're the only pops I have…" she exclaimed with more tears streaming down her cheeks as her emotions took control, her body wracking with sobs.

Genma swallowed hard and had anyone looked closely at him they would have spotted tear tracks on his face. The Tendo sisters reacted more strongly, and their hearts went out to the fellow girl who was evidently suffering from an hormonally induced breakdown. Kasumi gracefully got up from her chair and softly hugged the crying girl from behind, encircling Ranma's shoulders. With experience born from being the oldest sister Kasumi whispered soothing words into Ranma's ear as she stroked the younger girl's sides, and ever so slowly Ranma calmed down and managed to rein her emotions back in.

The disguised girl craned her neck and looked up into the caring brown eyes of the woman she considered a sister, a small, thankful smile spreading on her face. Her gaze then turned to linger on Akane and Nabiki, who both had similar expressions in their eyes as their sister. "Thanks, guys. I don't know what came over me," she tried in an attempt to justify herself.

"You're welcome, imoutochan. And it is nothing to be ashamed of, pregnant women do get more emotional. Ne?" Kasumi teased softly as she sat back down on her chair and ruffled Ranma's raven mop of hair, eliciting a giggle from the pregnant young woman in question, which caused smiles to blossom on the three sisters' faces in turn.

Genma on his part had been deeply moved by what his son—he still refused to view Ranma as his daughter, despite her being pregnant—had confessed. He knew he had screwed up big time, but Ranma was giving him another chance, a chance he actually knew he didn't deserve.

"Thank you, son," Genma whispered quietly, yet loud enough for Ranma to hear him.

Ranma turned her head to face him, eyes still glistening with tears, but a small smile blossomed on her face. "You're welcome, pops," she replied, her face slowly settling back into the neutral expression she had worn before. "Just don't botch it up this time, or I don't know what I'll do."

Genma nodded with an appropriately serious expression that indicated he had understood. "Got it, son."

"I understand as well, Ranma," Soun spoke up, and said Saotome youth turned her head a few centimetres to focus on the master of the Tendo school, watching him with an now expressionless face, making the man fidget uncomfortably. But Soun managed to pull himself together. "I realise that I made a huge mistake, and I want to apologise. I acted without thinking, only believing in what I thought to be the truth without verifying the facts. Forgive me," he concluded, his head slowly sinking forward until it was completely bowed.

Ranma surveyed Soun with a stern look for several seconds before slowly nodding. "I'll give you one more chance as well, Mr. Tendo. I know I'm a forgiving idiot and likely to regret it, but that's the way I am. But make no mistake," she said, holding up her right hand that was suddenly shrouded in silver and blue energy, her face sporting a dark and threatening look, "any further botch-ups will be dealt with with extreme prejudice. I won't place my daughter at risk if I can help it, ever. Got it?"

At the fathers frantic nods Ranma allowed herself to relax into her chair and let the energy dissipate. "Good. And don't think you or Mr. Tendo are off the hook either, pops," Ranma added, an evil grin spreading on her face that made the two adults very apprehensive. "I have decided upon a punishment, and it will be enacted once I have discovered Lemuria and brought everyone to safety."

"What is it?" five voices asked in unison.

Ranma smiled mischievously and waggled her finger. "You guys will have to wait until I have confirmed Lemuria is still intact."

"You have mentioned this Lemuria a few times, Ranma." Akane remarked. "What exactly is 'Lemuria'?"

Ranma met the curious brown eyes of her ex-fiancée with a thoughtful look. "You wanna know what Lemuria is, eh? Well, here goes..."

-.-

Ranma had launched herself into a detailed explanation containing all the facts she had gleaned from her daughter about the erstwhile secret base of the Moon Kingdom on Earth. The Amazons, Ukyo and Ryoga had rejoined them with enough food to last a decent sized army a week, and everyone had listened with rapt attention to what Ranma had to tell between bites of food.

In the end everyone agreed that it would be the best course of action to relocate to the ancient city if it were still intact and functional. Soun had revealed that he was hesitant to leave the house he had lived in with his daughters for so long, and said daughters shared their father's sentiment to varying degrees, yet it was Nabiki who brought it into perspective with her usual businesslike approach: should they stay at the Dojo their safety was compromised by several factors, the Asteroid—which wouldn't care whom it killed, the Senshi, who likely knew of their connection to Ranma, and, finally, Ranma's Clan.

Soun somewhat caved in when Ranma pointed out that neither of these factors would give a damn about their safety, yet he caved in completely when Genma reminded him of the basics of survival they had learned under the master, namely to cut their losses when opportune. Being attached to a building—regardless what memories, impressions and sentimental attachments it held—, Ranma argued, was understandable, but was it worth getting killed over it? Ryoga had added that it would probably well be possible to move important memorabilia with them when the time came, and that had tipped the scales for the Tendo sisters who then convinced their father to go along with the plan—provided Lemuria still existed.

Ryoga had easily agreed to move to Lemuria, subject to the condition that he could bring along his family—which he probably would have to find first—as well as Akari and her 'extended' family. Ukyo was still undecided on the topic, which stemmed from the fact that she hadn't seen any of her folks in over ten years, and she would have to check back on them to see if her folks were still alive. She would decide later on what to do, but opted an 'exodus' to Lemuria as a promising idea.

Ranma had made a casual remark about offering the Amazon tribe refuge in Lemuria as her compensation when the going would inevitably get tough, and had nearly fallen out of her chair when Cologne had accepted it in the most formal way she had ever seen the old matriarch speak in. Upon inquiring if she was serious Cologne had simply confirmed, and had added that she would smooth things over with the council once proof had been obtained that Lemuria existed and that 'Doombringer' would indeed graze Earth. Ranma had swallowed her retorts and had just smiled back sweetly, keeping her trap firmly shut so as to not botch up things. If Lemuria existed still and was intact and as big as her daughter estimated it would be easy to accommodate the tribe. she would have to convince them to leave their idiotic outsider laws in China first, though, but that should be doable.

The only unknown Ranma faced was the sorest spot of all. She still had no idea of how to deal with the maternal side of her family.

-.-

Ranma sat relaxed in her chair and was rubbing her full belly in a satisfied way. She was filled to the brim with delicious food, and her daughter had stopped her full scale kicking assault for the time being, much to Ranma's immense relief. Soun and her father had been released and had been convinced to return to the Tendo home so as to not raise the suspicion of whoever might be watching them, and the two masters had reluctantly agreed.

She was feeling a bit dozy from all the food—not to mention the trying past two days—and thus not in the mood for a sudden frontal—verbal—assault from Ukyo.

"Ranma-honey, we must find a place where we can raise our daughter in safety. It doesn't have to be this Lemuria, provided it's still there. I believe you-"

"Our daughter?" Ranma interrupted in a deceptively calm voice that gave all attendees a feeling of foreboding. "I think not."

"B-But you said it yourself," Ukyo began with a surprised expression on her face, "You won't marry Akane and Shampoo. That nutjob Kodachi ain't even worth consideration which means that we'll be happily married. We'll raise our daughter and you'll be such a good fath-"

A silver flash of lightning stopped Ukyo cold, and her eyes which had glazed over due to her visit to her personal dreamland focussed back on Ranma. A Ranma that glowed an eerie silver.

"That is something I have never understood," the now silver-eyed young woman drawled in a tone that conveyed her annoyance, "Where do you and others get off to claim they know what I want?"

Ukyo didn't recognise the danger signs, which stemmed from the fact that Ranma had never really been angry with her. But the gender-changing martial artist had also never been pregnant before, which accounted for altered behavioural patterns as Ukyo was about to find out.

"Ranma-honey," she began patiently, "Akane and Shampoo are out of the running, which means I, your cute fiancée win by default. We'll marry, raise our daughter and you'll save the world."

"I don't think so," Ranma simply replied, her voice level but forceful. The only indication for her displeasure was a brightening of her silver aura.

Ukyo was so baffled by Ranma's response that her mouth hung open, no sounds coming out of it.

"Good thing I set up the strongest wards and protections I had," Cologne muttered to herself, a sweatdrop rolling down the back of her head in face of the strength of Ranma's aura.

Ryoga nodded his assent. "This could get ugly," he commented with a worried frown as he looked from Ranma to Ukyo, who was slowly commencing a mental reboot.

Cologne readily agreed to this assessment. "Children," she spoke up as she looked at everyone bar Ranma and Ukyo—the former downright glaring silver daggers at the latter—, "I suggest we give Ranma and Kuonji-san some privacy to clear the air between them. This will likely get even more 'interesting' than the talk with the fathers.

"Mousse, I suggest you show Hibiki-san what we have talked about," she added, looking from boy to boy.

The male Amazon frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about?" he inquired, this time not adding any insult due to the still throbbing set of lumps on his cranium.

Cologne shook her head in dismay. "Place that boy in the same room as my great-granddaughter and his mind takes unlimited vacation," she breathed in a laboured sigh. "Do you remember per chance that we talked about a way to alleviate the weaknesses in Hibiki-san's fighting style, boy?"

"Weaknesses?" Ryoga blustered. "I have no weaknesses!"

Ranma's head slowly turned away from Ukyo and towards Ryoga, and she gave him a half-lidded stare which made the lost boy focus on her. "Don't take this the wrong way," she began, and Ryoga as well as anyone else could see that she was pushing herself to bring the next words over her lips, "But you _have_ weaknesses, p-chan," she finished, her look apologetic. "And it's partially my fault you have them."

Ryoga swallowed a few times to bite back the angry retort that was on the tip of his tongue, but the look in Ranma's eyes made it easy. His pregnant friend was looking genuinely sorry, and he knew she hadn't intended to insult him. She had taken way too much care to make this as clear as crystal, and even he, stubborn and blockheaded as he could be from time to time had understood. Ryoga finally sighed deeply, tearing away his gaze from Ranma's sad blue eyes.

Clearing his throat, well aware that everyone was watching him as they were asking themselves what was going on—those not knowing that he was p-chan, at least—he focussed on Ranma again, giving her a slight smile to convey the message that he was not angry with her.

"You really think they can help me with my problems, Ranma?" he asked, though his veiled question ran more along the lines if he could trust the Amazons after everything they had done, both good and bad.

Ranma kept a neutral expression in place—careful so as not to show the happiness she felt at Ryoga not having blown up on her—and shrugged. "There ain't no guarantees, there never are, but if anyone can help you it would be granny here, Ryoga," she replied.

"Help with what?" Akane inquired curiously, finally not able to hold in her curiosity any longer.

Ryoga turned his head to his erstwhile crush—managing to keep an even face, much to his own surprise—and noticed that her sisters as well as Ukyo—who had been sufficiently derailed from her spat with Ranma—were looking at him with identical expressions of curiosity.

"With my depression, Akane-san. Having found love with Akari has helped tremendously, but I still have my relapses," he explained with a solemn expression on his face, his brown eyes holding a sad glint to them. "I don't want to endanger Akari, my future children or anyone else just because I am not master of my emotions. And the Shi Shi Hokodan is tempting due to its destructive power," he added, a laboured sigh escaping his lips.

Cologne nodded. "That it is, which is the exact reason why I was so unsettled when you first learned it. It is a most dangerous attack, and we will have to remove the triggers in order to 'cure' you from it. Which is what I had been discussing with my great-granddaughter and Mousse prior to your arrival here, children," she said, drawing everyone's attention on her. "It is not unlikely that we will find ourselves in combat situations rather sooner than later, and the Shi Shi Hokodan—especially the perfect variant—is way too dangerous as it may kill friend and foe alike.

"Which is why we have to replace the technique with something less dangerous, or seal it at the least." the matriarch concluded.

The teens nodded in acceptance of this logical sounding explanation. they all had witnessed Ryoga using the Shi Shi Hokodan numerous times, and every single one among them knew of the dangers and destructive potential of this technique. Helping Ryoga to get rid of this suicide move was worthwhile indeed.

"I remember now and will show him the scroll you prepared, Elder," Mousse commented with a nod of his head and got out of his chair. "If you'd follow me, Ryoga…"

The lost boy nodded and got up as well. "Of course, Mousse. Lead the way," he replied as he followed the other boy.

Ryoga was in reality hard pressed not to perform an impromptu tap dance and clamped down hard on his overflowing emotions. the Amazons had promised him—through the back-door, at least—a cure for his curse, or an improvement of his situation, at least. His depression was not what made him a liability in battle, it was his thrice damned Heituenniichuan curse which left him near helpless at the most inopportune of times. it was also likely that their opponents knew of his weakness and how to exploit it. It would be so good to be rid of it, nearly too good to be true he thought as he followed the Hidden weapons master out of the room.

Six women watched the retreating backs of the boys as Ryoga and Mousse disappeared upstairs, and everyone slowly glanced back at Ukyo and Ranma. But Kasumi clearing her throat before a resume of the prior discussion could commence caused everyone to look at her.

"Nabiki, Akane, it would be most improper of us to not give Ranma-imoutochan and Ukyo-san the privacy they deserve for settling this... affair," she commented, causing thoughtful but agreeing expressions to appear on her sisters' faces.

"Elder, I would be honoured if I could help you in preparing some more special tea for Ranma-imoutochan. I have learned of some interesting Chinese brands with properties benefiting a pregnant woman, and I was wondering if you had them available," Kasumi added.

Cologne inclined her head. "The wards and spells I set up avoid detection to the highest degree and make just about any magical burst fade into the background noise, so yes, we should have the time to browse through my shelves and prepare some more tea for my chóngsunnu. She could do with some more weight on that lithe body of hers. it won't do for her daughter to look like a plucked chicken when she is born into this world."

"My daughter ain't a plucked chicken!" Ranma retorted, her lips forming a pout, which only served to cause amusement.

"Don't pout, chóngsunnu," the Elder commented amusedly at seeing Ranma's pouting face, "You may not be eating for two, contrary to popular belief, but you have to take in the calories, vitamins and minerals you two need. Don't worry about putting on weight, you can always bring yourself back in shape later."

Ranma's pout changed into a frown. "Easy for you to say, granny. Your figure ain't mattering to you 'cause you're older than any dinosaur ever got—OWIE!" she exclaimed, painfully rubbing the sore spot on her head where Cologne's staff had impacted, causing polite snickering from the other females.

"Don't disrespect your Elders, chóngsunnu." Cologne huffed in a mock-haughty voice. "I still remember it as if it were yesterday how my first childbirth was for me, despite my old age. And trust me, I had to get back in shape myself. But the right amount of training achieved that in no time and will do the same for you, especially considering your metabolism and physical attributes. So don't worry about getting fat and eat, chóngsunnu."

"Yeah, yeah, granny," Ranma relented with a grumpy expression on her face as she helped herself to more cookies, looking like a chided six year old, much to the amusement of the others.

Cologne nodded in a satisfied way, mounted her staff and jumped to the ground. "I suggest you children help in the kitchen," she commented, giving Akane, Nabiki and Shampoo meaningful looks. "There might just be some tea on my shelves that helps sooth a broken heart."

Akane and Shampoo looked at each other and shrugged in unison before getting to their feet to follow the older woman. Nabiki took a bit longer, contemplating to leave her DAT recorder hidden under the table but decided against it. Ranma and Ukyo did indeed deserve privacy to resolve their issues, and if the discussion would get as heated as the 'preliminary round' indicated she would hear every word anyway.

Glancing one last time at Ranma and noticing how resolved she looked Nabiki trudged towards the kitchen. This was bound to be an interesting discussion between Ranma and the last official fiancée.

-.-

Ranma sat on a chair opposite from Ukyo, her face a mask of stone, her arms folded underneath her breasts. The pregnant martial artist didn't move a muscle and remained completely silent all the while, nearly stoically so, daring her counterpart to initiate the conversation. And Ukyo was the first to cave in.

"What did you mean, Ranchan? We won't raise our daughter together?" she inquired, finally breaking the silence.

"It meant no, we won't raise _my_ daughter together, and no, I won't marry you. In short, no, that is the answer to your declaration," Ranma replied in an even voice.

"No?" Ukyo parroted in disbelief.

"No." Ranma repeated in a calm yet strong voice. "I am no prize to be won, and neither is my daughter. You have to realise one thing, Ukyo," the chef winced at the absence of the endearing term 'Ucchan', "I am that little girl's mom—her biological mom, not you or anyone else. It is me who is carrying her to term and will bring her into this world, and I love her as any other mother would.

"Sure, I will be Senny's dad as well with a splash of hot water," she allowed with a smile, "but I am her mom, first and foremost. And no one will ever take this away from me. Those who try won't like the consequences," she finished with absolute conviction, her voice holding a threatening undercurrent.

"B-But..." Ukyo began, her face showing her confusion.

Just at that moment Cologne pogoed into the room and over to their table, placing a steaming mug of tea in front of her soon to be great-granddaughter. As soon as she had placed the cup onto the table her eyes met Ukyo's. "I overheard what you said, Kuonji-san, and I'll give you a word of advice."

Ukyo's head slowly turned towards Cologne, her face a mixture of surprise and anger. "Go ahead, sugar."

"Give it a rest, child. It is unwise to challenge a mother's position, and Ranma is no exception. It would be better if you asked what it is that Ranma wants from life, what her plans are," Cologne advised, giving Ukyo an intent stare. "The Goddess knows none of us ever stopped to ask this simple question, me included." she added with a sigh.

The angry expression Ranma had worn after laying down her view on things gave way to a wistful smile. "Too true." she sighed, and her eyes met Cologne's. "But better late than never," she added with a small smile, her softening eyes conveying the message that the Elder was on the right track to forgiveness.

"But I already know what my Ranma-honey wants," Ukyo exclaimed in a tone filled with conviction as Cologne inclined her head in gesture of thankfulness and respect towards Ranma.

Ranma's head whipped around and silver eyes focussed on Ukyo, giving her an intent stare that made the chef flinch. "Yeah? Now you've made me curious," she retorted, her tone making it obvious that she doubted that very much.

Ukyo regained her equilibrium fast and shot Ranma a cute smile—which had no effect on her—and took a sip from her tea to moisten her lips. The chef gathered her thoughts and looked her fiancé straight into the eyes with huge puppy-dog eyes in an effort to make Ranma soften up, but the pregnant girl simply stared back with serious, unblinking silver eyes, prompting her to speak up.

Cologne on her part didn't like the situation one bit. Ranma was quite obviously angry, and justly so due to the fact that no one gave a damn about her wants and dreams, not even Ukyo, the first friend she had ever had. On the contrary, the Kuonji child did nothing to alleviate the pregnant girl's anger, which would be easily done by inquiring what it was that Ranma wanted to do with her life—aside from saving the world, Cologne mused wryly. This was not good, for she would be forced to resort to more drastic means to ensure their safety from the Senshi should Ranma's aura continue to grow in strength. A diversion tactic was called for.

"Indeed, child," she mused in a thoughtful voice from her position on her staff as she looked at the chef, who turned her attention away from Ranma and towards the matriarch, "I must admit that I am curious as well.

"Our intentions pertaining Ranma were quite clear cut," she continued wryly, mentally congratulating herself that she had managed to alleviate the tension in the room by drawing Ranma's attention on her.

"You can say that again," Ranma snorted half-amusedly, her face twisting into a smile almost against her will, her eyes changing back from silver to blue as well. "Old ghoul," she added in a half teasing, half affectionate tone.

She received a playful bop to the head and a mock-stern look from the Elder that caused her to giggle, which alleviated the tense atmosphere further.

"Adolescents nowadays. No respect." Cologne sighed, but the small smile in the corners of her mouth betrayed her. Shaking her head she pasted a serious expression onto her face and looked back at the chef. "What are your interests beyond marriage where Ranma is concerned, Kuonji-san?" she inquired, her big brown eyes gazing curiously at Ukyo.

"Yeah, Ukyo, how had you envisioned 'our' life?" Ranma herself inquired curiously.

Ukyo's brown eyes gazed back at the other girl in a way that suggested she was surprised that Ranma had asked this question as the answer was so obvious. "That's quite simple, Ranchan. You, me and the restaurant. Maybe opening up a whole chain of 'Ucchan's' once we employ the full range of your abilities in the culinary world, which will surely increase 'Ucchan's' success rate and provide us with the necessary funds," she mused in a dreamy voice, her eyes slightly glazed over.

Ranma frowned, her eyes changing colour again an indicator of her displeasure. "The full range of my abilities… Interesting you should mention that. So what about the Art, Ukyo? What about me wanting to open a dojo of my own after I have gained my master's license, provided we," she stopped to stroke her belly, "manage to save the world as it is?" she asked in a demanding voice.

Ukyo was oblivious to Ranma's tone of voice—or pretended to be at least. "What about it, Ranchan?" she asked with a genuinely puzzled expression. "What would we need a dojo for if we got the restaurant—potentially a whole chain of 'em—to provide us with the income we need? We would be settled for life!"

"You know as much as I do that money isn't why we practice our arts." Ranma retorted with a frown. "I sure as hell don't, I practice my Art 'cause I want to protect the weak. The Art ain't about money, Ucchan," she concluded, her tone getting chiding.

"True, Ranchan. What I meant is that we'd have enough money to live off, and rather comfortably, not becoming rich. You wouldn't need to open a dojo and you wouldn't have the time to do so anyway, seeing that you'd be busy with helping me in the restaurant. Who do you think has to manage 'Ucchan's' while I'm pregnant?" Ukyo asked with a dreamy smile.

"I see." Ranma replied in a level tone, her eyes having changed their colour again already during Ukyo's monologue.

Warning bells started to go off in Cologne's head and she excused herself, intent on strengthening the wards seeing that her attempts at steering the conversation to relative safety had failed. Ukyo was quite apparently oblivious to Ranma's mood, which stemmed from the fact that she like almost everyone in Ranma's life had his or her own personal view on all things pertaining to the young Saotome provided by rose-tinted glasses.

"I knew you would, Ranchan," Ukyo finally said with a beaming smile as she returned from her trip to her personal dreamland where she and Ranma were married, had kids and a chain of 'Ucchan's', leaning forward to grab a cookie, giving her fiancé an 'accidental' view of her cleavage. "I knew you didn't mean what you had said. Soon we'll be married, and then-"

"No." Ranma interrupted with force, her eyes flashing, chin thrust forward in defiance.

Ukyo was stopped cold by this single word. It was a simple two-letter word, yet it managed to throw the okonomiyaki chef completely off track due to the resolve and conviction with which it had been spoken, bringing her out of her dream world more effectively than a bucket of ice water. she fell back into her chair and stared at Ranma with her mouth hanging open.

"No?" she repeated as she looked at Ranma in askance, her tone conveying her utter disbelief.

"No." Ranma repeated, glancing at her 'cute fiancée' with a hard look in her silver eyes. "You have made the same mistake everyone else in my life has made, Ukyo. Which is the very reason why I won't marry anyone. Wanna know which mistake it was?"

"Hell yeah," Ukyo retorted grumpily, her face conveying that she was not the least bit willing to let go of her claim.

"You fit me into the dreams you had for your life, Ukyo. You just assumed I'd give up the Art and work happily by your side—the few morsels like occasional training trips you might throw my way having to suffice.

"No need to confirm it, 'sugar', I've learned everything I wanted. What else? Hmm, let me think..." she mused with a thoughtful look, putting her right hand to her chin. "A few kids, more restaurants and new recipes. That about right?"

"Yeah," Ukyo confirmed, her face frowning due to the derogatory way Ranma had listed her dreams. "What's wrong with that?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Nothing," Ranma replied, her neutral stare communicating the polar opposite, "Except that these are your dreams, not mine. You just assumed my goals in life were the same as yours without asking about my goals, my dreams."

She placed both hands on her belly and fixed Ukyo with a stare of her silver eyes. "Goals like giving birth to my daughter. like wanting to be a good mom when I raise her. Like saving this world from this friggin' big rock. After that, furthering the Art, Ukyo, teaching my daughter. Developing and mastering new techniques, and, finally, living without the headache relationships are," Ranma concluded in a cold tone.

Nerimans have strong reality filters in their brains as a prerequisite to survive the insanities they are confronted with on a daily basis, and the members forming the eminent group of Nerima's martial artists even more so, but not even the strongest reality filter would have been able to filter this unveiled message.

Ukyo burst into tears as Ranma's words hit home. "Don't you love me, Ranchan?" she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Ranma had no idea if the tears were faked or not, but she didn't care. Prior to her pregnancy she would have gone to pieces and would have done just about anything to comfort the crying girl. Not so any more.

"I admit that there was an attraction to you, Ukyo. You really are cute," Ranma allowed, a small smile creeping onto her face.

The Saotome youth shook her head as if to clear it, and the neutral expression was firmly back in place. "But these feelings weakened more and more over time, and do you know why?" she queried.

"No." Ukyo breathed, now on the verge of crying real tears. "Why?"

"Because you chased me like a prize to be won, just like everyone else. Because you chased me for selfish reasons, like meeting the terms your father set—kill Ranma and Genma Saotome or marry Ranma Saotome. and, more important, you wanted to be the one to win me over from the other girls, just like them. It may stroke the ego of some to be chased by so many gorgeous girls, but I simply found it annoying.

"Do you have an idea how good the last six months did, despite being held by my dear grandparents, despite the pregnancy? No one threw themselves at me, no one fought over me, to cut it short, I had my fuckin' peace and quiet."

"Then why did you never say anything, Ranchan? I could have—"

"What, Ucchan? Toned it down a bit?" Ranma interrupted with a disbelieving expression, and leant forward to give Ukyo an intent look. "Bloody unlikely considerin' the competition. I just never did anything about it 'cause I didn't want to hurt the feelings of any of you. And what didcha and anyone else do? You threw honour into my face in an effort to make me choose. Yet I couldn't and didn't choose 'cause I didn't wanna cause any of you distress.

"Yeah, big ole softie Saotome, eh? But there's more to it, Ukyo. The reason why I never made a definite choice was honour. Honour demanded I marry both Akane and you. Which is quite impossible seeing that Japan doesn't allow for polygamist marriages. And I know for a fact that none of you would have agreed to become my mistress," she concluded and leant back, steepling her fingers.

Ukyo's face showed her objection to this concept quite clearly. The brown haired girl slowly shook her head and sunk deeper into her chair, only to right herself up as a look of determination appeared on her face. She wanted Ranma for herself, sharing was out of the question. She deserved him after all she had been through, she and no one else.

"See?" Ranma asked, her face a mask of neutrality, but her annoyed tone made Ukyo look into her eyes—eyes that were silver. "Your face tells me everything, Ukyo. You wouldn't have. Yet honour ain't an issue any more, eh? Maybe, but I won't marry you, because I don't want to," she concluded, crossing her arms underneath her breasts.

The finality in Ranma's voice prompted the chef to bring out the big guns. "But what about the agreement between our fathers? What about the dowry your father stole? You have to marry me!" she exclaimed angrily, her face set in a stubborn scowl.

"And that's the perfect example for what I just said. You try and use honour to manipulate me, to guilt me into marrying you. Do you have even an inkling of how fed up I am about that?" Ranma growled, and silver lightning briefly lit up the serving area.

A strong kick from Senny prompted Ranma to look down at her belly, and the raven haired girl laid her left hand onto her belly, taking a few calming breaths. When she looked back up her eyes were blue again, her face devoid of emotions.

"Have you thought about the consequences of using my honour against me? Have you considered what it boils down to? I _have to_ marry you? Nice. So forcing me to marry you will ensure us such a good marriage, won't it? It will surely make me love you endlessly," Ranma retorted in a tone so thick with sarcasm it was a miracle she was still able to breathe through it.

"I—I..." Ukyo stammered, unsure of how to navigate out of the pit she had manoeuvred herself into.

Ranma shook her head, her face sporting a look of annoyance. "Save it. I will not marry anyone. I don't even know if I am capable of forming a relationship any longer, and I have no intention to find out in the near future, maybe never. All you and everyone else have managed to do is that you girls have made me wary of physical contact. Do you have an idea how much effort it cost me to just hug Kasumi-oneechan? So don't get me started on love. My experience shows that love equals pain, and I have had enough pain in my life. The only exception is Senny-chan, her love ain't selfish, her love doesn't cause me pain," she said with conviction.

"Y-You can't mean that..." Ukyo whispered as she shrunk into her chair, tears spilling down her cheeks, and the chef made a vain attempt to get a hold of her emotions, only to descend into hiccoughs.

Ranma's expression remained neutral, her eyes resting on her mid-section. "I do. Before it was just me who got hurt—physically and emotionally—which was no big, but I meant it when I said I've had enough pain in my life, and for one simple reason: Senny. She's my daughter and as such she will inevitably come to know pain, but by Kami-sama, I can and will clamp down on the sources I can control, and that is first and foremost my environment.

"I will raise Senny, and then we'll do what we must. I simply have neither the want nor the time for superflous baggage like a relationship. And that is final," Ranma said, her intent stare communicating that she meant every word.

"What about the ten years I spent training? What about the dowry that your family lost?" Ukyo demanded angrily with tears in her eyes, her face a mask of fury.

Relentless blue eyes met angry brown ones unflinchingly. "I'll ask bluntly, Ukyo: what of that is my fault? I was six when pops ran off with the cart, and I had no idea you were a girl. As for my honour, it is not affected by your claim. No," she growled, her silver aura producing an impressive light-show as it flared up, "you will let me finish!

"Your father, Ukyo, knew full well that a prior engagement existed. That is fact. Yet he offered his yattai anyway—which pops, greedy idiot that he is, took—expecting my family to dishonour a previous honour pact."

"But—" Ukyo tried to object.

"I am not finished yet," Ranma interrupted in a sharp tone of voice that shocked Ukyo into silence, the silver eyed girl's face expressing her extreme annoyance. "Your father, Ukyo, had to have known that an agreement such as this was dishonourable! My pops acted faulty as well, I'll admit that freely, but your father had no grounds for the actions he took! It had nothing to do with _my_ honour!

"Then there's the fact that I had lost the yattai to the gambling king prior to the agreement between our fathers. The contract you base your claim on is faulty. As for the training you put yourself through, isn't it the foundation for your business? Don't go blaming me for things that ain't my fault, 'sugar'. I've had enough of that, and I won't stand it. If you want compensation, address your complaints to pops or the Saotome Clan. I don't fuckin' care which you choose, I have other problems to worry about," she concluded in an adamant tone.

"That's it? You just say I should fuckin' forget about ten bleedin' years? Years I spent training and chasing you and your father?" Ukyo demanded with a furious expression, slipping into the slang she had customarily used in the ten years she had spent as a boy.

Ranma rubbed her right temple, as if warding off a gigantic headache. "You must understand one thing, Ukyo, I am not the same Ranma you knew six months ago. My priorities have changed, a lot. So believe me when I say, if you push me, I will push back. And I can push damn hard when push comes to shove," she stated, her silver eyes lighting up with power for a moment.

"But really, I don't want to. You know, Ucchan, my life went to hell as soon as battles ensued over me, with me as the prize. Do you know how much it annoyed me that I had been made into an object? How much it turned me off that you girls threw yourselves at me?" she asked with a troubled expression. "You can be happy I didn't start liking guys, for Kami-sama's sake!"

Ukyo looked shocked. "Y-You wouldn't have—"

"I am a woman like you in this body, this pregnancy proves it. It's just everyone's damn luck I prefer women, in both forms.

"But I don't want a relationship," Ranma continued in a calmer voice after a short pause, "and anyone who tries to force me into one will regret it. I am a single mother, and no one will change anything about it. I'm just not in the market for a relationship, and all I can offer to you is friendship, Ucchan, nothing more, nothing less.

"If you want to restart the vendetta you had going be my guest, but I'll do everything in my power to defend my child and me. I just don't want to have to do so, for I'd lose one of the few I consider a friend," she concluded, a tired sigh escaping her lips as soon as she had finished.

"You absolute jackass!" Ukyo exploded and jumped up from her chair with a furious expression, her face red as a tomato, only to deflate and slump back into her chair a few seconds later after she had taken a few calming breaths. "I can't believe you really mean that," the chef finally breathed.

Glancing at Ranma she noticed firm resolve in the other girl's silver eyes, but also an enormous amount of tiredness. "But you really do mean it, doncha?" Ukyo pondered, her eyes widening at Ranma's nod. "You really don't know if you're capable of entering into a relationship, huh?"

"No, Ucchan, no idea," Ranma admitted, her face completely honest and open. "You know, you girls fighting over me and fitting me into your various ideas of how life should be without considering what I want drove me away from all of you. And as I said, my priorities ain't exactly on finding the girl I'll spend the rest of my life with."

"You really don't have the best prerequisites to go babe hunting at the moment, sugar," a somewhat recovered Ukyo chuckled, tracing Ranma's pregnant form.

Ranma chuckled as well, glad that her childhood friend had understood where she was coming from. "Don't I know it. 'Nineteen year old single mother looking for girlfriend,'. Ain't the ideal opening line, eh?"

"Not by any stretch of imagination, Ranchan," Ukyo replied, her facial expression changing from amusement to disbelieving wonder. "I'd never have thought that you'd ever get pregnant in the first place—or be the first one of our group. I think no one did."

"Least of all me," Ranma agreed with a wry chuckle, letting her right hand wander over her belly.

Ukyo nodded. "I'll be there for you, sugar. I have understood the message. I'll have to think about what it means for us, but neither you nor your kid asked for it to happen. Who knows, maybe you'll see things differently once you're a man again."

Ranma inwardly marvelled at Ukyo's turnabout at this point. It had come way too quickly for her taste as she had expected much more resistance. But then again, Ukyo had always been the most rational amongst the fiancees, and she must have sensed that a temper tantrum wouldn't have impressed her. It was likely that she wanted to preserve the chance she thought she had. Now to test if this theory held true.

Pasting a neutral expression on her face Ranma waggled her right index finger at the other girl. "Don't count on it, Ucchan. Better try to settle for a friend that'd go to hell and back for you than for a love interest that doesn't return your love and will push you away."

"Got it sugar. Ain't that I have that many friends to begin with…" Ukyo sighed, confirming Ranma's suspicions. The other girl hadn't given up, rather the opposite. But she knew when not to press it beyond a certain point, had likely learned from the wedding fiasco. That could turn very ugly in the future, but she had many witnesses for her refusal of Ukyo's claim. Besides, she had other, more important matters at hand.

"BWEEEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHRGGGGGHHH!" a voice exclaimed in a loud, tortured scream from upstairs, interrupting what Ranma had wanted to say.

The raven haired girl turned her head to where the inhuman scream had originated from, an alarmed expression on her face, which had gone deathly pale. The first half of that yell had sounded vaguely like an animal, but the second half could only be described as completely inhuman.

Throwing caution into the wind Ranma stormed upstairs, vaguely aware that the other females were hot on her heels. Rounding the corner at the top of the stairs Ranma ran straight into the room the yell had originated from, but stopped cold at the sight that greeted her.

"W-What the hell…" was the only coherent sentence she managed as her brain tried to catch up to what she was seeing…

-.-

The other females had just barely avoided bumping into Ranma, and when the pregnant martial artist had noticed that she was standing in their field of view and had stepped aside the others got a clear view as well on what had caused Ranma to stammer.

"Oh my Kami-sama! What is happening to Ryoga-kun?" Akane exclaimed, shock written on her face, her hands clasped over her mouth.

That was indeed the question on everyone's mind. Ryoga—who was only recognisable due to his trademark bandanna and his clothes or rather what was left of them—was rolling on the wooden floor with an expression of immense pain on his face, and his features were undergoing drastic and continuing changes. It was hard to estimate from this perspective and made even more difficult due to the state of constant flux his body seemed to be in, but it was near certain that Ryoga had at least gained two feet when he was at his tallest.

The females watched as Ryoga's body seemed to be trapped in some kind of constant flux, shrinking and expanding between his original size and the newly gained height. His body was alternately covered in bristly looking fur that resembled a pig's and jet black coloured, tough looking skin. For the moment his head had taken on a form that resembled a jackal, complete with a maw filled with razor-sharp looking pointy black teeth, yet his head was just as much subject to the same changes afflicting his body and alternated between the jackal form and something resembling a mixture of a human and a pig, complete with curved tusks. His hands and feet alternately sported mundane, human-sized hooves and wicked looking claws which had torn apart his shoes, shredding them beyond recognition.

It tore at everyone's heart to see Ryoga in so much pain, and the effort the lost boy invested in biting back pained screams was readily apparent in the thick strands of muscle that tensely rippled underneath his skin. Cologne pogoed into the room and fixed the only male Amazon present with a glare.

"What has happened, boy?" she inquired in a strained voice.

Mousse turned truly frightened and confused eyes on her and fought hard to regain his composure, succeeding after a long moment's effort. "I honestly have no idea, Elder," he replied, him addressing the matriarch by her title an indicator of how rattled he really was. "One second Ryoga was in here with me and the next he had disappeared. Then he reappeared again a few seconds later, and he was like that and began screaming his head of."

Cologne glanced at Mousse and back at Ryoga, a frown marring her face. His explanation was completly and utterly bogus, that was readily apparent to her, seeing as she had ordered Mousse to give Ryoga access to Drowned boy water to combine the curses in order to negate Ryoga's weakness. Yet something had happened that had botched it up, and the Elder had a good idea as to what. Suppressing a groan Cologne pogoed over to a good sized cupboard she kept some of her magical artefacts in. She opened the door to the three by three metres sized room which she'd ordered Mousse to use to combine their Heituenniichuan and Yaazuniichuan curses with Nannichuan water, and one look told her that cursed water had indeed been used.

The matriarch was hard pressed not to explode and gut Mousse on the spot for his damned vanity. The idiot boy had confused the kegs and had doused Ryoga-buta with water from the Spring of Drowned Jackal mixed with Nannichuan—commonly referred to as Anubis water in the tribe. Instead of giving in to the images of violence and carnage her mind conjured up Cologne took a few deep, calming breaths and finally turned back around to the awaiting group.

"I am afraid Ryoga came in contact with an unstable experiment I was conducting," she sighed, making the explanation up on the spot. "He got exposed to curse water that is a result of my efforts to alleviate the effects of unfavourable curses, like Shampoo's," she concluded, a grave expression on her wrinkled face.

"Oh my!" Kasumi exclaimed, her face going even paler than what it had been before.

"Poor Ryoga-kun!" Akane exclaimed, her face as white as the wall.

"What can do to help, hiba-chan?" Shampoo asked.

Cologne turned to her heir and shook her head with a sad expression on her face. "Nothing, child. The curses must run their course, and we can just hope that the Hibiki boy is strong enough to survive this ordeal."

"It is that serious, Cologne-san?" Nabiki inquired in her calm business tone, her ice-queen façade firmly in place. she wouldn't call Ryoga exactly a friend, but he was a decent enough guy who didn't deserve what was happening to him.

"I fear it is, child," Cologne replied in a grave tone and matching facial expression. "It is particularly bad that the experiment that crashed on Ryoga contained both water from the Heituenniichuan as well as the Anubis water. I wanted to discern how weak curses react to strong curses in hopes to dispel or replace the weak and in most cases unfavourable pig, dog, cat or duck curses, for example. I had not expected a reaction that violent."

A sudden loud two-voiced scream coming from Ryoga made everyone cringe. Ranma growled angrily at seeing her friend suffer, hating the helplessness imposed on her with every fibre of her being. Her head suddenly shot up as a thought popped into her mind. Was she really doomed to observe and nothing more?

Relaxing to the ground Ranma folded her legs under her body Indian style and closed her eyes. the trance that brought her spirit to the other Tendo dojo came easily to her, and when the redhead blinked her eyes open she gazed into the concerned silver and blue eyes of her daughter.

"Mom," she exclaimed and oofed as she was engulfed in a strong hug, "Air… need… air." she gasped out.

Ranma, the mother in question let up on her daughter to some degree at least, allowing the silvery-redhaired girl to draw some valuable oxygen into her lungs.

"Sorry, dear," the older redhead replied as she raked the fingers of her right hand through her daughter's soft hair, sighed and held her at arms length. "It's just that you are my last hope, hon. Something really bad has happened to Ryoga, and I have to help him! Senny, he could die!"

"Mom, take a deep breath and tell me what has happened," Senny soothed, hugging her mother to her with her left arm around her waist. She then used her right hand to stroke her mother's back in circling motions which noticeably managed to calm Ranma down.

The redhead looked up at her daughter after she had recomposed herself and quickly summarised what had happened in the last few minutes. When Ranma had finished Senny swore. "That's Bad mom, bad with a capital 'B'. Curse magic like that is damn potent and unpredictable," she mused with a very troubled expression.

"That mean we can't help him?" Ranma questioned, her face twisting into an even more helpless expression.

Senny sighed, closed her eyes and massaged her temples before opening her eyes again with yet another sigh. "I didn't say that, momma," she replied in a strained voice. "But helping him would require something I shy away from."

"What? What is it?" Ranma inquired in a hopeful voice. "I am partially responsible for the situation he is in now, Senny. If I hadn't run him over he'd never have gotten the curse. So if I can help him tell me how, by the kami!" she urged.

"Okay, mom," Senny agreed and removed herself from the hug, sitting down on the ground. Ranma mirrored her daughter and positioned herself across from her. "I will give you a quick rundown. I have been collecting every spare ounce of magical energy I could so that I could use it to trigger something to protect you should it become necessary, momma."

"Trigger what?" Ranma queried with a curious yet cautious expression.

Senny shrugged, a lop-sided grin appearing on her face. "You, mom, have magical potential inside of you that rivals that of the strongest Scouts, even Sailor Moon's," she commented off-handedly, so as if talking about the weather.

"I am no magical gi—" Ranma started to interrupt, only to be stopped cold by her daughter.

"Mom, please listen to me. I'm just gonna explain it without giving an opinion, the actual decision is up to you. Okay? Good. As said, you have that magical potential, but it is inactive, hasn't been triggered yet. That is due to the fact that the magic of members of the Serenity line only becomes active in female members, and only when the right triggers are involved."

"Triggers? Which triggers?" Ranma queried, having a good idea that Jusenkyo had been one.

"I'll come to that. You, mom, have been a boy for the first sixteen years of your life, which means that regardless how vast your potential is it would have stayed inactive, even with the right triggers involved. There's just one instance where a male became a Senshi, but he's of no relevance right now.

"Now to the triggers. You became a woman due to Jusenkyo and you had me, which provides all the triggers needed. In times of old, in the Silver Millennium, it was the Queen who unlocked the magical potential of the females of our line at a given age—a safety precaution to prevent accidental magic, you could say—, but me being the reborn Queen—technically not yet, I know—I can do that as well. I have the power it takes and more," Senny explained with a smirk.

"Go on," Ranma reluctantly muttered, curious against her will.

"You have recently been drawing on your magic in times of anger and stress, mom, but only on a fraction of it. Helping your friend would require releasing the blocks placed on your magic so that you can access it fully. You would turn into a magical girl, in essence," Senny cautioned, her tone of voice showing that she knew her mother's sentiments pertaining that topic.

"A magical girl…" Ranma whispered, her focus turning inward for a few moments, before switching back to her daughter again. "And you say I have always had this magical potential in me? It's just that because I was born a boy that it remained… dormant? It's no cheap power-up or something and won't endanger my male form?"

Senny shook her head with force that made her long silver hair swirl with the motions, her expression completely serious. "It is not, mom. It is your birthright, and we will need every ounce of power we can get. Keep in mind, it will be just the two of us against the other Scouts, and even if you agree and turn into a magical girl it will be no guarantee that we would be strong enough to face them on equal terms. We will still need allies, mom. it's not a free ticket to as much power as you want.

"It won't endanger your manhood either, Momma, I promise. Even though I don't know for the life of me why that's so important," she muttered silently. "You're my momma, that's all that counts."

Ranma nodded her head thoughtfully and chose to ignore her daughter's opinion on her male form, one of her worries alleviated. "Good, dear, on both accounts. I hate nothing more than undeserved power-ups. Hard training and work is how I gained my skills and strength, but if this magic thingy is part of me anyway I can accept it.

"Heck, I'll take becoming a magical girl any time if I can save Ryoga and help you by becoming less of a sitting duck. Ryoga's a good friend who has helped me a lot recently, and I owe it to him. Hadn't it been for pops 'n' me he'd never be in this situation," she mused. "Then there's to consider that a good deal of additional power—it being my power after all—will come in handy when dealing with the old hags on the Elder council. 'Cause I'm sure that's gonna be quite the show."

Senny sighed and impulsively hugged her mother to her. "But it'll hurt you so much, momma, and you have been hurt so much in your life already," she exclaimed with tears spilling down her cheeks. "Must it be now? Isn't there another way?"

"Not according to granny, my little one," Ranma replied softly as she stroked her daughter's hair. "Senny-chan, I cannot tell you how much it touches me that you're thinking 'bout my well-being. But Ryoga might die if I don't do it. And I hate the thought of not being able to assist you in what you've gotta do. Who's gonna keep 'em off your back while you destroy that big rock if not your ol' mom?

"My mind is made up, dear," she continued after taking a deep breath, her face displaying fierce determination, "I am no stranger to pain, and regardless how much it'll hurt it'll be worth it in the end. No pain, no gain."

"Momma, I hate that your life has made you so callous to pain," Senny whispered, using the right sleeve of her Chinese silk shirt to dry her eyes. "But I accept it. As if I had a choice."

Ranma smiled softly and held her daughter close. "Thank you, dear. So what's gonna happen now?" she queried, her apprehension barely audible.

Senny leant back in her mother's arms and looked into her stormy blue eyes, reluctance obvious in her own silver-blue eyes. "I will begin to reroute the spare magical energy I have been storing and send it into your magical core once you give me the go ahead, mom. I have collected every ounce of spare magical energy I could for a single reason: to protect you."

"Huh?" the smaller redhead queried.

"Momma, the Senshi nearly got us once, and I knew there'd be attempts on us. That's why I collected every spare ounce of energy, and Ryugenzawa was most helpful in that regard, as it allowed me to bolster my magical core without drawing on yours. My drawing on your magic was not detrimental to you in any way or form, mom, but I didn't like it.

"Which is why I jumped for joy when we reached Ryugenzawa. The water of life as well as the ambient magic in and around the area have filled me up to the brim, and I wanted to start channelling energy into your magical core anyway to safely erode the blocks over time. You are now nineteen, mom, and the normal age for a member of the Serenity line to have her blocks removed is twelve.

"Your blocks are bound to be strong, especially considering your frequent exposure to magic. Removing them in one go will be painful. Very painful," Senny cautioned, her expression dissatisfied. "But now that you have made your decision uninfluenced I can tell you about the benefits of being a magical girl."

"Benefits?" Ranma inquired, looking questioningly at her daughter.

Senny cracked a grin. "The protection I mentioned, momma. Your strength, endurance and other physical attributes will be amplified, you will gain an ultra-light armour that's able to absorb a lot of damage, and... Magical attacks in addition to the ki-based attacks."

Ranma nodded to herself as she mulled it over. "Not bad," she finally said, looking up into the expectant eyes of her daughter. "Not half as bad as I'd have thought."

"I'm relieved to hear that, momma," Senny said with a big smile. "Your potential is vast, how vast I dunno. As said, it is probably strong enough to rival that of the strongest Scouts."

"How?" Ranma whispered. "I mean, how is that possible?"

"That has to do with the source of our magic, mom," Senny explained, a far away expression in her eyes. "The Scouts' powers result from the mana taps they have on different celestial bodies, but members of the Serenity line tap into the power of the solar system itself. Sailor Moon is the only exception for reasons I do not remember, she is order bound to the Moon. But make no mistake, mom, they are strong, together likely stronger than even the two us combined."

Ranma slowly nodded as her mind absorbed the information, and her expression changed into a frown as something occurred to her. She lightly swatted her daughter on the right shoulder and began shaking her head. "You sly dog, you."

"Huh?" Senny queried, the monosyllabic question the only response she managed.

"Don't play innocent, dear, it's unbecoming. You planned on turning me into a magical girl all along, didn'tcha? The channelling of magic into my blocks to 'erode them', as you put it, would have led to that, wouldn't it?" Ranma inquired, an incredulous expression on her face.

"I had planned it as a trump card, a kind of last resort to use if you ever got into a tight spot, mom," Senny admitted in a regretful tone. "I just wanted to have a way to protect you so that you could protect yourself," she concluded with a downcast expression, her eyes filled with sadness. "I understand if you're mad at me."

Ranma placed her right hand under Senny's chin and softly forced her daughter to look up at her. "I am not mad at you, dear, not really. You didn't plan it for selfish reasons, other than ensuring our survival, maybe," she added with a chuckle, "and I can respect why you wanted to do it. But next time give me a warning in advance before you want to turn your mom into a magical girl, will ya?"

Senny giggled as her mother ruffled her hair, and her relieved expression made Ranma grin. "So, dear, what could happen to me if you remove those blocks? Aside from the pain, I mean?"

"I'll put it bluntly, momma, it will trigger a transformation. One you might not like," Senny admitted with a sigh.

"Transformation?" Ranma repeated, her brows climbing into her hairline. "Figures. I know I probably don't wanna know but I'll ask anyway: what kind of transformation?"

Senny frowned. "I dunno for sure, mom, but I'll take an educated guess. Well, lets face the facts, shall we. You are a direct descendant of the Serenity line with the strongest magical potential since Tenma, otherwise known as my predecessor's brother Orion the Hunter. You are female, at least half of the time," she relented at her mother's glare, "which is another essential prerequisite. Then there's your frequent exposure to magic, the latest example being Ryugenzawa, which likely bolstered your magical core. So…"

"Don't stall, dear," Ranma interjected, tapping her foot impatiently. "Just tell me how bad it's gonna be."

"Keep in mind," Senny remarked, waggling her finger at her mother, "you're doing it to save your friend. And to help your poor lil daughter."

"Wisecrack," Ranma muttered, trying to scowl, but failing miserably.

The silvery-redhaired girl shrugged, an evil grin blossoming on her face. "You asked for it, mom. It might be enough to trigger a Serenity transformation which might—or might not—give you abilities similar to what I will eventually have, just weaker, and your looks will likely be similar to what you have seen from the recording."

"That's not too bad then," Ranma shrugged.

"But… you are in for a fuku at the least," Senny added, her face holding an entirely too smug expression for Ranma's tastes.

"A fuku?" Ranma retorted, her face contorting in disdain. "Like what the Senshi are wearing? That wet dream of every perv in the whole wide world?"

"In essence, yes. It was very uncommon, but there were times when more than one girl was born to our line, and only one descendant could be the heir, based on the strength of their magic and their character. That's the reason why the Head Scientist of the time created a template based on the Senshi garb for the Serenity line in case members proved to be too magically weak or... inept to achieve the Serenity form. But I have no idea what will happen in your case, momma. None at all," Senny admitted with a shrug, contemplating if she should tell her mother the part that would make it bearable for her, finally deciding to do so after long moments of grinning at her mother with a teasing expression. "But you will be able to change the characteristics of your uniform should you indeed gain a fuku provided your magic is not strong enough for the Serenity transformation. Your magic has not been bound to any preset parameters as is the case with the Senshi, thus changes to the uniform will be possible."

Ranma's face relaxed somewhat. "That's at least something. I always asked myself who the perv was that came up with the Senshi's fukus. Must have been an ancestor of the old perv or something," she groused.

Senny chuckled. "Worse, mom. The Head Scientist I mentioned was a great-uncle of my predecessor. He was utterly brilliant, but any time he felt inspired it was prudent to hide at the other side of the universe. That, and he had a lewd view on things," she said with a snort.

"Now I know where mom's quirks come from. It's genetic," Ranma muttered with a dejected expression, putting her face in her hands. "Well, at least I'll have control over what my garb will look like. Don't wanna give the pervs of the world a free show."

Senny hugged her mother close to her. "I am glad that you don't have a problem with becoming a magical girl, mom. I was worried you would take it a lot harder what with all that manliness crap stuffed into your head. That's why I wanted to keep the trump card as a last resort."

Ranma drew back so that she could look her daughter into the eyes, a solemn yet caring expression adorning her face. "Having you took care of that, hon. While I may like my male form 'cause of its greater strength and reach I have understood and can appreciate the strength of a woman. 'Sides, that manliness crap came from my mom, and she has proven time and again that she ain't the best judge of character.

"I have outgrown the 'I have to be manly all the time phase', and it's my mom's own fault. Hadn't my grandparents and she forced me to have you—which I don't regret one second, dear—I might still be the macho Ranma who tried to be manly even in female form. If I have to become a magical girl to help Ryoga, and if it can aid me in helping you I'll do it. So let's do it."

The redhead oofed as she suddenly found herself hugged to her daughter with force that drove the air from her lungs. "I love you, mom. I love you so much," the silvery-redhaired girl whispered, and Ranma could feel the tears that spilled from her daughter's eyes as they dripped onto her skin.

Half a year ago Ranma would not have understood that crying could also be an expression of happiness or simply overflowing emotions, but her pregnancy had taught her a lot in regards of female emotional make-up. Her face sported a soft smile as her right hand made soft circling motions on her daughter's back.

"I know, my little one, I love you too," she whispered, revelling in the love they held for each other.

It was with a heavy heart that she willed herself out of the dreamscape, filled with certitude that her daughter knew what had to be done and would do it. Ranma Saotome was in for yet another change in her life, and she would face it head on, like she always did. For Ranma Saotome did not lose.

**to be continued**...


	9. Chapter 9

**Title**: Chaotic Rebirth

**Author name**: Trugeta

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ as well as Naoko Takeuchi and many others. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Note further that I don't own any of the trademarked properties mentioned in this story. Also, the OCs used in this story are works of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead is not intended and purely coincidental.

This story takes place after the failed wedding in the Ranma series and the defeat of Galaxia in the Sailor Moon Series. It's an AU, and reviews are welcome and appreciated.

**  
Chapter 9**

Ranma slowly opened her eyes, her keen senses taking in her surroundings in an instant as she had been trained to do since the day she could walk. She noted right away that she was back in her body and seated on the wooden flooring of Cologne's room, Indian style, and no one had disturbed her mental Tête-à-tête, much to her surprise.

Her privacy whilst her talk with Senny was probably due to the fact that Cologne had likely warned her friends not to bring her out of her trance because of unknown and likely detrimental side-effects, and a small smile touched her face.

She appreciated the old woman's thoughtfulness. For one, she really didn't need the massive headache that invariably resulted from an untimely interruption of her trance, and, even more important, she had really needed the time with her daughter to get more than just the general gist of what she had to do.

But getting to work was easier said than done, seeing that her command of her body was less than optimal at the moment. Her legs had this pins and needles feeling to them she usually only got after hours of remaining seated in this position and made getting up quite the tedious task.

Ranma sighed. Her pregnancy was screwing around with her body yet again, which meant that what her wrist-watch was telling her was true—just minutes had passed during her visit to the dreamscape, not the hours it felt like. Summoning her strength she finally got to her feet, albeit a bit wobbly, and immediately began to massage her thighs to reinstate the blood flow, well aware of the curious looks she was getting.

She could understand where her friends were coming from, for she had left for her daughter pretty quickly and without an explanation, the—still disguised—raven haired girl mused as she rolled her neck first to the left, then to the right, producing twin subsequent cracks.

This had the desired effect as it alleviated the pain in her neck, at least to some degree. Satisfied with her physical condition as it was—being well aware that she would have to make do with what she had—Ranma turned around to face the others.

Her jaw clenched on its own accord and Ranma grind her teeth so hard that they gnashed as her eyes darted from her friends to Ryoga. Her friend was suffering like a dog, and that he wasn't screaming his head off was testament to his strength and endurance.

Her eyes softened a bit when she thought that the 'sacrifice' she would have to make, her becoming a magical girl, would enable her to eliminate the cause of the pain he was going through. She turned her eyes away from her suffering friend and walked slowly but deliberately towards her almost great-grandmother, who turned her eyes away from Ryoga to meet her gaze.

"Granny, you gotta set up the strongest wards, spells and whatever else in this room you've got," Ranma said without preamble, her tone of voice and facial expression one of fierce determination that drew everyone's attention, "I can save Ryoga, but it'll take something big on my part. It's very likely to catch the attention of our enemies, thus I need the strongest stuff you've got."

Cologne nodded thoughtfully as she surveyed Ranma with unveiled interest. "That I can do, chóngsunnu. May I inquire what this 'something big' is you mentioned, or is haste required for what you have planned?"

While haste was not exactly required with Ryoga relatively stable for the moment Ranma did not really want to clue the others in on her impending change. She was not completely comfortable with the thought of becoming a magical girl, and comments made by the others might unsettle her so much that she would shy away from going through with it. Which was something that mustn't happen, for too much was at stake here.

"We better hurry, granny," Ranma replied seemingly after a moment of contemplation, a guarded look on her face as she returned the Amazon Elder's look. "Ryoga's suffering so much, and I want to get started right away. You'll all see what that something big is after I'm done with saving him."

The matriarch nodded, and one look at the other attendees told Ranma that they respected her wish to keep her secrets for the moment, which was something that relieved the raven haired girl to no end. She had half expected at least Nabiki to get nosy, but the situation was apparently serious enough so that it had served to curb even the middle Tendo daughter's curiosity for the time being.

Cologne had meanwhile set herself in motion and was pogoing over to her cupboard, exhibiting a haste anyone had seldom seen in the ancient Amazon before. The Matriarch's frenzy served to achieve results in a surprisingly short amount of time, however.

A minute later a mass of scrolls lay scattered on the ground beside a large wooden chest she'd had Mousse move from her storage cupboard into her quarter. Cologne crowed in triumph after another minutes' search, her tiny hands holding a gnarled staff of about one metre length, the staff being made of a dark wood that might have been ebony, but the teens couldn't be sure.

What caught everyone's eye in an instant was the large, oval-shaped crystal embedded in the staff's tip which glowed a soft blue. Likewise remarkable was the rear end of the staff which was formed by a very sharp-looking double-edged blade held in a style similar to Ukyo's battle spatula, just that this particular exemplar looked a lot more deadly.

Ranma whistled lowly when her eyes caught sight of the intricate symbol on the upper right side of the blade—said blade oddly reminding her of a deadly pendulum—and one look at Cologne's green robes confirmed that the staff had to belong to the Matriarch's line. Receiving it would be a great honour indeed.

"Are you really sure the strongest protection against magical outbursts will be needed, chóngsunnu?" Cologne queried as she turned around to look at Ranma, an unhappy frown on her face.

Ranma nodded grimly, her expression severe. "Yes," she replied in a voice filled with certitude. "So why the face?"

Cologne carefully bopped Ranma on the head with the flat side of the bladed rear end, "This is the Iron Staff of Jong Bang, Ranma. It will erect a containment field of unparalleled strength that is one time use only in a hundred years. The field is triggered by touching the crystal and focussing your mind on its activation, and deactivated in the same way, just in reverse.

"In other words, you must will it on and off. Beforehand you must envision the field's size in your mind—usually three metres in diameter will be sufficient," she explained in a reverent tone.

"Is that really—" Mousse began, an expression of supreme surprise on his face.

"Iron Staff of Jong Bang, hiba-chan?" Shampoo concluded in awe, her eyes wide.

"Yes." Cologne replied with a solemn expression. "The absolute magical containment field, said to originate from the time of the Great War itself. Once erected there is no escape from its confines for Kami, Demon or mortal alike, and it's likewise capable of containing even the most severe of magical energies. It's one of the tribe's most sacred magical items and one of our family's greatest treasures, only to be used in cases of great emergency."

"Granny," Ranma said softly as she closed the gap between them, laying her right hand on the ancient Amazon's tiny right arm, "I feel in my bones that our situation rates as a great emergency. If the Senshi detect us—and they will if we don't have the strongest wards possible—we can kiss our asses good bye. And I don't feel like doing that.

"I need your help to go through the changes that lie ahead of me, granny, changes I'd never have been willing to face half a year ago. But so much is riding on it, so damn much," she said with a deep sigh.

"What kind of changes, imotouchan?" Kasumi queried quietly with concern and care shining in her eyes, asking the question on everyone's mind.

Ranma smiled softly. "Magical changes, oneechan. Sorry for being so vague, but I dunno what'll happen when my magical potential becomes unblocked, aside from it being very, very painful. And strong, can't forget about that," she chuckled wryly.

"Is danger?" Shampoo asked with a worried expression after she—like the others—had digested this tidbit of information.

"To all of you if you stay in this room, for I dunno what will happen, but not to Senny," Ranma replied with certitude. "That's why I wanted a means to shield li'l ole me from the environment, 'cause I expect a big blast."

"Damn, Saotome, you about to become a magical girl or what?" Mousse asked in a joking tone.

"Considering her track record that would _not_ surprise me," Nabiki commented, snorting softly.

The pregnant young woman shrugged. "Dunno, guys, and don't really care that much if I can make a difference by becoming one," she replied nonchalantly.

"Damn, you really have changed, Ranma no baka," Akane exclaimed with a soft smile, summing up the thoughts of everyone present.

"Got that right, sugar. Ranchan wouldn't have been caught dead saying something like that a half year ago," Ukyo added, her face betraying that she didn't know what to think of it.

Ranma shrugged again. "I'll do what's necessary, with everything that entails," she replied with a determined glint in her blue eyes, which softened as she smiled at her ex-fiancées. "Change is inevitable, and those that do not change and stubbornly refuse to will break. I very nearly broke 'cause of the changes I underwent in the last half year, but I adapted and grew stronger because of it."

"That you did, chóngsunnu, that you did. And I will be proud to officially call you my great-granddaughter once I adopt you into the tribe, provided you take this old bat up on her offer," Cologne said softly, affection for the raven haired girl glinting in her eyes.

Ranma—who had turned her head towards Cologne—smiled. "Let me survive this here first," she retorted, her face becoming serious. "Granny, please take everyone outta here and go to the basement. None of you are safe here, and I don't wanna risk any of you getting hurt. There's been enough hurt in the last two years to last a life-time."

Cologne looked directly into Ranma's blue orbs, and suppressed her want to stay and help when she saw the raven haired girl's unspoken plea. Ranma practically considered all of them—it was unknown if she included Mousse—family.

The enormity of this wasn't lost on her, and it tugged on emotional strings that had been left untouched for centuries due to her suppressing her emotions on her rise to the position of Head Elder of the tribe. The matriarch shook herself out of her musings and gave her as good as great-granddaughter a nod.

She didn't know what overcame her when she felt her free hand reach out and come to rest on Ranma's arm, giving it a squeeze, but it did feel right. "I want you to be very careful, Ranma-chóngsunnu, you hear me? Take care of yourself, I am counting on you to survive this—we all are."

"Damn right, Ranma," Nabiki exclaimed with a carefully guarded face, being the first to do so, everyone else following suit.

Ranma looked from Cologne to the teens, brushing away a few tears with her right sleeve. "I… thanks, guys. But now shoo! I have a friend to save!" she exclaimed in an attempt to cover up her overly emotional and deeply touched state.

"You will need this before I 'shoo', chóngsunnu," Cologne said with a grin, let go of Ranma's arm and handed her the Staff. "You can now use the staff just like a female of my line because I touched it and gave it to you willingly. To cut a long story short, the safety mechanisms have been disabled. Now do the tribe and your line—your _true_ line—proud. We have faith in you."

The raven haired girl took the offered staff into her right hand with a reverent expression on her face, accessing its weight. Finding it to be surprisingly light the Saotome girl looked back at Cologne, a small, thankful smile playing in the corners of her mouth. "Thanks, granny, for everything. But now for the last time, everyone, shoo! I have work to do."

Cologne gave Ranma's arm another squeeze and turned to the teens. "You heard her. Let's clear out."

No one contested the wizened matriarch or Ranma on this, and the Tendo sisters, Ukyo, Shampoo and even Mousse gave Ranma encouraging looks as they filed out of the room one by one. Ranma's heart soared due to the looks as she smiled at her friends, this was the acceptance and support she had always wanted, always craved, but that it had taken her getting pregnant to get it irked her.

Shrugging to herself and winking back at Cologne Ranma positioned herself about two and a half metres away from her trashing friend, staff firmly grasped in her right hand.

Her gaze went downward to her belly and her left hand went to softly stroke it as she summoned her courage. Taking several deep breaths to steel herself for what was to come she expelled her breath deeply one more time before shifting the staff in her grip.

Ranma moved her right index finger tentatively towards the blue glowing gem, coming to a stop scarce centimetres away from the stone, a look of hesitation passing over her face when her fears of loosing her male side resurfaced.

The look disappeared as soon as it had appeared when she remembered her daughter's reassurances, to be replaced by a look of intense determination, determination to not allow anyone or anything to change her inner core as she finally touched the magical stone.

A spherically shaped translucent field of energy, unsurprisingly blue in colour, extended from the staff almost instantaneously, and Ranma just managed to breath a "Whoa!" as the force field extended around her body—about three metres in diameter, just as she had specified beforehand in her mind.

Cologne had been right, the staff had reacted to her will and had set up the force field as she had specified. Granny had suggested a small, strong force field instead of a stretched one that would have covered the whole building, and Ranma had seen the logic: if the outburst would be as strong as suspected she didn't want anyone beside herself inside the field, period.

She glanced at the staff in her hand, taking notice of the brightly glowing gem. Shrugging her fascination off she intended to lean the staff against Cologne's bed, but when she tried to move it the staff didn't budge an inch, much to her consternation.

Ranma raised a delicate brow, and, following a hunch let go off the staffs' handle. The other brow followed into the hairline when she found the staff supporting itself, it floating about three centimetres above ground, a low hum emanating from it. The raven haired girl blink-blinked once, shrugged her shoulders and prepared herself.

"Okay, Senny," Ranma whispered in a low tone, her left hand still resting on her belly, "Now show momma what you've got. Saotome Serenity power, MAKE UP!" she exclaimed with a smirk.

Her daughter had apparently just been waiting for her mother to utter these words…

-.-

For a moment Ranma felt nothing out of the ordinary, then, suddenly her world seemed to tilt at a ninety degree angle that dropped her straight into a dimension of pure pain. She felt how her mouth opened against her will as a pained scream escaped her lips, her whole essence being suddenly subjected to energies that seemed to want to tear her apart from the inside out as they rushed through her body, tearing away at any obstacles in their path.

Ranma quickly discovered that this had been nothing but a foretaste, and the liberation of her magic became even more strenuous and excruciating for her when the stream of magic coming from her magical core began to cleanse her magical pathways, her screams of pain increasing in intensity as a result.

Had anyone other than Ranma and the insensate Ryoga remained in the room they would surely have thought an earthquake was taking place due to the magical discharge. The floor seemed to shake as if set in motion by a tectonic clash, and even though the 'earthquake' was limited to the three by three metres sized magical dampening field extending around Ranma it could be felt in the whole building, the containment field flaring a bright blue under the assault of magical energies.

As the energies continued to lance through Ranma in ever increasing intensity her screams grew louder, and through the haze of pain she hardly noticed an invisible hand seemingly carrying her upwards until she hung suspended in mid-air, about twenty centimetres high. The disguised girl's back was arched and her scream continued, the all-encompassing pain stemming from the sensation of being stretched and torn in every direction imaginable as her unleashed magic raged through her being.

A brilliant, silver column of light flared into existence around her body as the magic manifested in the visible spectrum yet again, blowing away the disguise as if it were nothing, the crackling silver energy seemingly eating away at it.

The now once more redheaded martial artist remained motionless in the centre of the magical force field, the columns' crackling maelstrom of energy only seeming to grow in strength from second to second. Ranma's breath was coming in short and pained gasps, and the redhead had her arms outstretched to both sides of her lithe body, extruded to their maximum with her fingers spread apart as far as their considerable flexibility allowed. Her slender legs were parted to a bit more than shoulder width so as if to better compensate for the strain, her mouth remaining open in a seemingly never ending scream.

The energy column containing Ranma's body progressively darkened from a light silver colour to a much darker shade of silver, and the short moments the colour change took gave her a brief reprieve from the strain exerted upon her, having the side-effect of serving to obscure the pregnant martial artist from view as well.

Few, immeasurable seconds later the unleashing resumed as another flash of silver lightning occurred, and this one caused Ranma to shriek louder than ever as all blocks keeping her magic from her conscious control were shattered completely and rather violently in a single moment.

A few moments later a golden crescent moon briefly flared on her forehead before disappearing, and Ranma's screams of agony lost some of their volume as the pain reached more bearable levels, if only for a few precious moments.

Soon, all too soon the next wave of pain hit, this one seemingly immersing her into an ocean of liquid fire. Senny had not exaggerated when she had alluded to the procedure being excruciatingly painful, and the changes Ranma's body was now going through so that it would be able to handle her magic were indeed beyond painful. But the Saotome, having been subjected to pain and trials no human being should have to go through forced herself to stay conscious despite the mind-numbing and all-encompassing pain.

Her magic, now flowing through her as free as the wind for the first time in her life was slowly building up to conduct the final changes to her body, and it did so in the way Ranma liked things to happen: in a flash. And the changes literally happened in a flash, it being yet another flash of silver lightning that lit up the room brighter than any man-made source of light would have been able to.

The instant the final changes were applied Ranma balled her hands into fists so tight that she drew blood due to the nails digging deeply into her palms, and the redhead threw her head back in a heart-wrenching shriek of pain. She had her eyes so tightly shut that they were leaking tears from the corners, and blood slowly flowed from her palms to her fingertips from whence it gradually dribbled onto the ground, completely unnoticed by the martial artist.

When the light had finally cleared away the changes became readily apparent, the most prominent being an unexpected change in hair colour. Ranma's daughter had had no idea of how close to the truth she had been when she had predicted that her mother would resemble the late Queen whom she had met as a recording, but the resemblance was definitely there, proving her ancestry beyond the shadow of a doubt.

Ranma's long silver hair flowed gently in the breeze as she was being held suspended in midair, the pregnant teen having unconsciously closed her mouth after the torrent of pain had been endured. The silver haired martial artist turned magical warrior breathed regularly, a look of peace having settled on her face, her eyes closed as her changed body was being caressed by the upstreaming breeze, all wounds healed.

The unleashing of her magical power had also wrought readily apparent changes upon her body other than the change in hair colour, her magic having matured her body to that of a woman in contrast of that of the young girl she had been before in this form.

Her height had increased to about 5'' 10' from the 5'' 4' it had been after her growth-spurt, and her body had filled out which resulted in a much more mature figure befitting of a magical warrior. The athletic built she had only possessed in her male form prior to her transformation was now readily apparent in this body as well as it exuded strength, fitness, and an underlying feeling of calm and controlled power.

Ranma's waist was still somewhat narrow even despite her pregnancy although that was subject to change rather sooner than later, and her hips would have had Doctor Tofu's mother in ecstasy. Her legs—and that pertained to thighs as well as calves—were well-toned and powerful, hinting at the strength she possessed, and impossibly long.

The feeling of power in the room increased once more, and an intense flash of silver lightning suddenly illuminated the windowless room with a thunderous crackling sound, the power-spike being accompanied by the seemingly complete destruction of Ranma's clothes, leaving the redhead in her birthday suit. Iridescent particles idly swirled around her body, particles, which any competent physicist would have immediately identified as Ranma's former clothing, which had apparently been deemed unworthy by her magic, having been reformed into energy by Ranma's magic.

Another, this time final flash of silver lightning washed through the room, this one bestowing new garb upon the heir of the Serenity line in a reversal of the process that had reformed her original clothes into energy just moments ago. The after-effects of the flash subsiding, an observer would have caught a glimpse of the newly enrobed man turned woman.

It was debatable if Nodoka Saotome, allegedly purified of her believes pertaining to manliness, would have approved of her son turned daughter's new wardrobe, but it was highly doubtful that Ranma's magic would have cared one iota.

Said magic had converted the prior formless swirl of energy her former clothing had been reformed to into a sumptuous silver robe very similar to the style the late Queen Serenity had worn, and as much as Ranma would hate it, it had also bestowed upon her intricate silver earrings as well as a silver necklace in the form of a crescent moon.

Her magic had likewise outfitted her with elaborate silver wristbands of about five centimetres width adorned with silver crystals of seemingly just ornamental function—which's true function she would find out later—as well as an attractive pair of what resembled satin shoes designed in a sandal silhouette with open-toe refinement.

Ranma, being gently carried by the invisible breeze which had held her suspended in midair before, slowly, gently drifted down to the ground until her shoes softly touched the wooden floor, yet her clothes and hair continued to waft around her in the breeze generated by her magic as if she were standing in an air stream.

After what seemed to be an eternity but actually was not more than a few heartbeats the changed Ranma slowly blinked her eyes open, fluttering her lashes a few times to get used to the ambient light.

The silver haired young woman shook her head as if to clear it, her long, flowing hair swirling around her head like a halo. She opened her eyes to take stock of herself as well as to overcome the dizziness, her self-diagnosis already telling her that massive changes had been wrought upon her system.

It was as if a dam she hadn't known had existed had been blown to bits, and her life-energy and magic were intermixing freely inside of her for the first time in her life, subjecting the use of her magic to her conscious control, at least in theory.

Ranma took a deep breath to collect herself and touched the floating staff's tip, willing the field to dissipate. The transformed teen began to really appreciate Cologne's generosity when the translucent dome started to fade into nothingness, signifying that it would be another hundred years before it would be usable again. But it had done its job well, gauging from the lack of trigger-happy Senshi, Ranma mused.

The teen shook her head to get the reverent expression off of her face and walked over to the moaning and shivering form of her friend who was still trashing wildly on the floor as the constant changes wracked his body, paying neither heed to the overwhelming feeling of power her freely flowing magic induced nor to the strange shoes she was wearing. She was completely focussed on the problems ahead, going over what Cologne had explained to her in her mind.

The reason why Ryoga was suffering so much, the matriarch had explained, was that the mixing of the Heituenniichuan curse and the Anubis water—which contained both Drowned Jackal water and Drowned Boy water—had all but destabilised the magical matrix of the original curse, in fact so much that the curses were now battling for supremacy.

Taro and him gaining the Chanyuiniichuan curse in addition to his Niuhoomanmaorenniichuan curse appeared in a new light due to the recent developments. The arrogant Chinese boy must have gone through suffering similar to this when he had added the new curse to his cursed form, even if likely not to this degree.

He'd had the Niuhoomanmaorenniichuan curse since birth after all—which meant the magical matrix of his curse was likely much stronger than that of Ryoga's two year old Heituenniichuan curse, and it was likely that the weaker Chanyuiniichuan curse had been easily overcome, probably almost instantly. The same could not be said in Ryoga's case, and it was now on her to help Ryoga pull through this battle of curses, and she vowed she would not fail.

Kneeling down beside her friend Ranma acted on instinct and placed one hand just below where she suspected the navel to be, using her stronger right hand and considerable strength to hold him steady. A look of intense concentration appeared on her face and the golden crescent moon flared up on her forehead as silver-blue energy began to flow from her left palm as she pushed her magic into Ryoga, commanding it—in quite simple terms—to set things right.

What Ranma had not expected was to be subjected to the feeling of being whisked away.

-.-

A certain silver haired martial artist turned magical warrior blinked her eyes a few times to get used to the sudden assault of blinding light, asking herself where the hell she was. Ranma finally decided to shield her eyes from what she assumed to be the sun, using her right hand to reinstate at least some of her sight which allowed her to properly focus on her surroundings. Her improved vision made Ranma look directly into the pride-filled silver eyes of her daughter who was just in the process of engulfing her in a hug.

"You made it, momma!" she exclaimed and engulfed her mother in said—bonecrushing—hug. "I knew you would! And it even is a Serenity transformation! This is so cool!" she gushed.

The older silver haired woman smiled and returned the hug. "Thanks, dear. Not that I mind, but what am I doing here?"

"You were brought here by your magic 'cause you need knowledge on how to help your friend. Acting without said knowledge could and would endanger us," Senny explained, having drawn back slightly to give her mother a serious look that conveyed this was important.

"No learning by doing, then, I see," Ranma replied equally serious, nodding her head.

"Not if you want to avoid magical implosions or something equally unpleasant like total loss of molecular cohesion, mom," Senny stated, completely serious.

Ranma went white, and then asked slowly in a carefully controlled voice, "Implosion? As in instant death? Not good," she swore at seeing her daughter nod. "No experimenting until I got a better grasp on things. Got it. What do I need to know to make this a success?"

"You see," Senny began, removing herself from the hug to sit down in the grassy area of the other Tendo compound, Ranma mirroring her as she sat down across from her daughter, "You must focus on which magical aspect, which curse in other words, you want to strengthen. There can be only one to win and mix with the Nannichuan, momma."

Ranma nodded in understanding, a thoughtful expression on her face as she used her left hand to scratch the back of her head. "So the Nannichuan is what will stabilise the magical matrix, and I gotta choose which curse will pull through?"

"Yep. That's it in a nutshell, mom," Senny confirmed, leaning back into the grass with her hands behind her head.

"So it's on me to decide which curse suits Ryoga better. Great," Ranma exclaimed with a sour face, balling her left hand into a fist which she then brought down into the palm of her right hand. "Damn, that feels like cursing him all over again."

Senny sighed and her hand reached out to grab her mother's, taking them gently into hers. "It seems you will always have to make tough choices, momma. But you can take comfort in the thought that you have begun to use that thing between your ears as more than a placeholder. You're actually considering other peoples feelings. I'm impressed," she teased in an attempt to lighten the mood.

The older silver haired magical warrior threw her daughter a look of mock-outrage. "My very own daughter saying something like that… I'm hurt," she exclaimed mock-seriously, having well detected the teasing. **'Two can play this game…'** Ranma thought and got an evil look on her face that seemed to make her offspring wary.

"Err, mom?" Senny inquired in a suddenly timid tone.

"Yes, dear, what is it?" Ranma inquired, feigning ignorance, yet the same-self evil look remained on her face.

"I hope you're planning more payback for gramps the panda… if not, can I be on your side when you look that evil?" the younger woman asked. "It's scary!"

Ranma placed her right index finger on her chin and pretended to think. "Let me think, dear… nope. It's you I'm planning to get back at for this comment," she said completely seriously, "and it'll happen when you least expect it. You'll learn to respect your mother yet."

"Aww mom!" Senny whined in full puppy-dog-eyes-mode, "I was just teasing you. Honest!"

Ranma smirked, her eyes dancing with mirth. "My daughter… Heir to an intergalactic empire, which is admittedly not in the best of states at the moment, yet she falls for my Soul of Ice. Seems I learned a lot in the last half year."

"That much is obvious," Senny grumbled with a pout on her face after she had recovered from her painful face-vault. "You're getting entirely too good at this, not even the puppy-dog-eyes worked, damn."

"I try," Ranma replied mock-modestly. "But I really have to think about that curse matter, as nice as this distraction was, dear."

"So you saw through it. Oh well," Senny shrugged. "Then let's list the facts, shall we. Our alternatives are the pig-curse in combination with the Nannichuan, and the Jackal curse in combination with the Nannichuan," she listed, ticking off fingers. "Then there's to consider that Ryoga used to 'comfort'," Senny frowned deeply, "Akane in his cursed form."

The frown was mirrored by her mother. "True. I don't wanna justify what he did and admit that it ticked me off to no end, but that's water under the bridge. He let go of his grudges, I did the same. End of story. What's important is that he hates his cursed form 'cause it makes him a liability, it makes him weak, defenceless even. He loathes it, at least the normal cursed form anyway."

"Hmm," Senny mused, her left thumb and index finger stroking her chin as she thought, "maybe we should compare the animals and what advantages and disadvantages they contribute to the human form, mom."

"Good idea, dear," Ranma agreed, steepling her fingers as she nodded approvingly at her daughter. "The pig… Ryoga would have bristle fur all over his body, a snout, tusks and hooves on hands and feet. Not that ideal in my opinion, though on second thought, Akari may disagree."

Senny snorted as she 'remembered' the pig-obsessed girl. "She'll understand the reasons, and if she really loves him she'll accept it. Now to the jackal… hmm, wicked and sharp claws on hands and feet, physically strong and probably very tough, a maw filled with razor-sharp teeth and, not to forget the greater reach and height. Disadvantages… the only one that comes to mind might be the predatory instincts he would likely gain."

"Right on the dot, hon. What strikes me is that the jackal is much better suited for combat situations, and we will find ourselves in a lot of 'em, that's practically a given," Ranma mused with a tired sigh as she relaxed her upper body into the soft grass, stretching her legs out as she folded her hands behind her back so that she came to rest in a ninety degree angle in relation to her daughter.

The younger silver haired woman propped herself up on her elbows and laid her head on Ranma's stomach, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. "I know how tired you are of fighting, mom. And I know how much you enjoyed the last two months," she said with a sad undertone. "But we got a job to do, we have to protect the weak, and we have to stop our misguided sisters."

Ranma's gaze hadn't left her daughter one second as she listened to her all-too-true words, and pride welled up inside her. "You truly are my kid, dear. Trust my daughter to remind me why we are walking this path so fraught with peril," she said with an amused shake of her head, "We will fight the worthy fight, and we will not lose. Together, hon, we shall and will succeed," she concluded determinedly, stroking her daughter's hair fondly.

Senny grinned as she leant into the hands of her mother. "Love you, mom."

"Love you too, dear," Ranma replied with a soft smile as she continued her ministrations. "And you will be pleased to hear that I have decided to 'curse' Ryoga with the jackal curse. I doubt he'll be happy, but it's the lesser of two evils seeing that there ain't no cure."

"True, momma," Senny mused and ripped out a long blade of grass which she put into her mouth. "Now to how you do it… You focus on your magic until you notice some kinda churning feeling in your stomach. It feels similar to calling upon your ki, just a tad different. Doncha worry, it won't hurt my infant form. I'm well protected," she assured, giving her mother—who had stopped stroking her daughter's hair in favour of shooting her a worried look—a reassuring smile.

"Good," Ranma replied in the tone of a mother fiercely protective of her young. "There ain't anything gonna hurt you if I have a say in it."

Senny snuggled her face to her mother's stomach and craned her neck to look up into her silver eyes, a soft smile on her face. "I know, momma, I know. Together we'll pull through anything."

Ranma smiled down upon her daughter, the smile extending to her eyes. "One Saotome doesn't lose, and two Saotomes—especially the two of us—can only win," she exclaimed, ruffling her daughter's hair.

The younger silver haired girl giggled. "You said it, mom," she agreed, enjoying the ministrations thoroughly. "We will see this through, and then we'll get us a nice, long holiday afterwards."

The older Saotome nodded, a small smile playing on her face as she imagined the various destinations, content as she basked in the closeness they shared, mother and daughter, magical warriors.

-.-

Ranma's return to the real world was a reluctant one, but the Saotome girl kept in mind what her daughter had said: she had a job to do and a friend to help. And she would do it the way she did all things: thoroughly and with full commitment.

Her brows creased in concentration as she remembered her daughter's instructions as well as her warning words. One tiny mistake could have serious consequences for both Ryoga and her, thus being fully concentrated and prepared was a must. Ranma shuddered internally as she thought about her reckless attempt to fix the situation in the twinkling of an eye, and the shuddering only increased as she remembered the consequences Senny had listed.

Magical implosion. Total loss of molecular cohesion. That could have gone really awry. But now she knew how to do it, and she wouldn't fail. For Ranma Saotome didn't lose, especially not when the chips were down.

With this reaffirmation firmly anchored in her mind it was much easier to focus on what she was trying to accomplish. Saving the world through giving birth to her daughter had been a goal so abstract that it had been hard to focus upon, especially as it had left her feeling so useless.

Now that she would be able to contribute something to the critical endeavour—namely finding Lemuria and making alliances, among things, and first and foremost, helping Ryoga—she had regained her incitement, her energy.

Said energy was downright flowing out of her in a river of magic as she directed her magic into Ryoga via her palms, the image of the jackal—her magical focus—firmly in her mind. Her eyes closed on their own accord as she kept as focussed as possible, the energy slowly pouring out of her magical core as it strengthened the jackal curse. Had Ranma watched she would have been witness to how hard the battle of the curses was as was evidenced by the continuing fluctuation.

Slowly but surely the jackalic features gained the upper hand, though, and an outside observer would have thought to see the ghostly form of a human sized pig leaving Ryoga's body. The lost boy's trashing first lessened then stopped—which the completely focussed Ranma only sensed due to the decreasing effort it took to keep her friend steady—, his breathing, which had come in pained gasps getting more and more relaxed with each passing second.

The silver haired martial artist turned magical warrior allowed herself a small smile as she continued to pour energy into her friend to eradicate the Heituenniichuan curse forever, her eyes closed still. All of a sudden, a few minutes later the flowing of her energy came to an abrupt stop which caused Ranma to open her eyes in surprise. It had not been her that had terminated the energy flow, but Ryoga! That could only mean that she had succeeded! The Heituenniichuan curse had to have been eradicated!

Ranma blinked her eyes a few times to reinstate her vision, and her re-focussing eyes widened slightly as she took in what was obviously Ryoga's new cursed form. Expelling a laboured breath after giving her friend a brief once over she slumped to the ground, the majority of her energy having left her.

Summoning what was left Ranma relaxed into a cross-legged position, her curiosity winning over her tiredness, and gave Ryoga a more thorough once over. Her former rival was lying on his back, soft snoring noises emanating from his snout. A snout that was just like a jackal's, just that it had been elongated to human size.

All in all Ryoga did indeed look like a cross between a human and a jackal, his looks very similar to the warriors she had once seen in the Gaijin movie 'The mummy'. But he would not perish as easily as them, of that she was sure as she continued her visual inspection.

He was without a doubt strong, probably even stronger than his normal form, judging from the thick strands of muscle rippling under his jet-black skin. His clawed hands and feet as well as his razor-sharp teeth caught one's eye right away, making for formidable natural weapons. Ryoga's height was somewhere between six and a half and seven foot, Ranma estimated, it being hard to give a precise estimation what with him lying on the ground.

The stress of the curses' battle for supremacy as well as the transformation had obviously led to a deep sleep as was evidenced by the regular, deep breathing that was loud enough to raise the dead. The danger had finally passed, and Ranma allowed a real smile to creep onto her face as the tension began to fade out of her. She had done it, she had saved him, just as she had promised to herself.

Expelling a tired sigh Ranma looked down at herself, now becoming fully aware of the changes she herself had undergone. She didn't really want to expend the energy to explore said changes, but that full-body mirror Cologne's otherwise completely ascetic room offered really called to her. The silver haired young man turned woman had almost summoned enough energy to drag herself to her feet when she felt her power-levels drop even further.

A soft, silver glow began to surround her, and suddenly her silver robe as well as her other garb disappeared, leaving her in the nude for a few moments before new, different clothes were bestowed upon her by her magic.

The now silvery-redhaired young woman blinked her eyes a few times and very nearly swore when she noticed her changed wardrobe. The robe and the other stuff she had been forced to endure in her Serenity form had been bad enough, but why oh why did her daughter have to be right? Why the hell did it have to be a damned, overly revealing fuku? Some kami sure was getting his or her kicks out of that, she was sure.

"I've gotten used to wearing girl stuff over the months…" she muttered with disdain prevalent on her face, "But _that_… If I can't change this… fuku to my liking a certain daughter of mine is in for a year's worth of being grounded before she's even born," Ranma groused, her scowling face displaying her utter displeasure over her attire.

Ranma checked her power-levels and found them, much to her surprise, in the lower-average region. Which could only mean one thing: once her power-level dropped below a certain point she could not maintain her Serenity form any longer, which in turn resulted in her being downgraded to this… this… cutesy form.

She pushed herself to her feet with a guttural growl that stood in stark contrast to her outfit, driven by the want to get an accurate picture of herself in this 'uniform' to see if it was really as bad as she surmised.

"Know thy enemy…" the silvery-redhaired young woman muttered as she approached the mirror, finally coming to a stop about ten centimetres away from the reflecting glass. Righting herself up Ranma surveyed herself, taking in every detail, soon arriving at the conclusion that it was worse than she had originally thought.

The 'uniform' she was wearing was just like the ones the Sailor Senshi donned, consisting of an indecently short primarily white fuku with a dark green hem in her case, the fuku barely covering the essentials while her upper body was covered by a white shirt with dark green sleeves, the shirt clearly showing off her swollen belly.

A dark green front bow and an equally dark green back bow adorned her uniform, and knee high dark green boots served as her footwear. A golden crescent dangling from a golden chain around her neck as well as the wrist guards she had worn in her Serenity form completed her outfit.

**'That just won't do,'** Ranma thought to herself, a deep frown marring her features.

The silvery-redhaired gender changer collected her thoughts and tried to picture her current self inside her mind, complete with uniform. Seeing that the uniform she was wearing had been created by her magic she should be able to change it easily, just as her daughter had said.

Ranma closed her eyes and began to alter the clothes in her mind, lengthening the fuku so that it reached to well over her knees. Next came the boots. While cool looking they were literally killing her due to the fact that her feet were swollen because of her pregnancy. Something much more accommodating and comfortable was called for, like, say, getas.

Yes, that would do nicely, and for protective and supportive purposes she could use white stockings sewn in a criss-cross pattern to make them look as unsexy as possible. Infusing the stockings with her ki much like the iron cloth technique Ryoga used would serve her well as far as protection was concerned, and enemies attacking her seemingly unprotected legs would be in for a surprise.

Satisfied with her efforts Ranma applied the changes by willing her magic to alter her clothes, and when she reopened her eyes the same-self image she had pictured in her mind revealed itself to her in the mirror. It had actually worked!

"Not too shabby compared to what the Senshi are forced to wear any time they transform," she muttered half-appreciatingly, then shook her head. "The sacrifices I make for saving the world... One time whoever kami is screwing around with my life is gonna pay. Dearly," she grumbled to herself, and turned her attention back to her self-survey, satisfied at having delivered that threat.

-.-

"Ooooooooooooohhh my head," a deep, rumbling and almost demonical sounding voice exclaimed from behind Ranma in a raspy voice, raising her out of her self-scrutiny.

The silvery-redhaired young woman whirled around as fast as her pregnant form allowed, and saw that the lost boy had sat up in the meantime and was blinking his eyes rapidly as he looked down at himself. His widening yellow eyes were not a good sign in Ranma's book.

"Ryoga, try to stay calm," she urged as she slowly closed the distance to him. "You went through some changes, and—"

The rest was drowned out in a yell as Ryoga jumped to his feet, only his clawed feet, which dug their sharp, curved nails into the wooden floor preventing him from losing his balance. The lost boy continued to look down at himself, his yellow eyes wide with surprise and a hint of fear. "What the hell happened to me!"

Ranma, having come to a full halt about two metres away from Ryoga willed her magic to emit a feeling of peace and calm, but she had no real idea if it would work or was possible at all. She slowly and carefully closed the distance separating them and came to a stop in front of him, yet far enough away not to violate his private space in case the predatory instincts he might have gained kicked in.

"You had an accident, Ryoga," she said softly as she looked up at him, and Ryoga's gaze swivelled up from where it had observed his newly clawed feet and focussed on Ranma's eyes, his own yellow eyes still wide. "You didn't just get hit with the Nannichuan, you see, Mousse, well, he hit you with something called 'Anubis water'. It's—"

"A-Anubis water? Is that why I look like a cross between a human and a jackal?" he growled menacingly, the anger in his voice almost making Ranma flinch. "Mousse! Prepare to—"

"Please calm down, Ryoga," Ranma interrupted softly, weary of his raised claws and what they could unwittingly do in his agitated state. She had no desire to test the durability of her newly gained armour just yet. "He didn't do it on purpose," she added as soon as his attention had returned to her, "and you gained several advantages."

"Advantages?" Ryoga retorted bitingly, his yellow eyes flashing. "Hah! I was turned into something out of a horror movie, so which advantages do you mean, Ranma?" he growled.

Ranma was not impressed by his anger, knowing full well that she had a trump card that would bring him down from his anger high. "You are rid of the pig, Ryoga. Forever. You also—"

"Rid of the pig?" Ryoga breathed in surprise, his eyes losing all of their anger at a moments notice, just as Ranma had surmised. "I didn't even stop to think what being in this form means—"

"That much is obvious," Ranma interrupted playfully, and ignored the equally playful sounding growl that communicated that Ryoga had indeed calmed down, as far as she could tell. "But it is true, the pig is gone, forever and always," she grinned. "The Anubis form replaced it."

"R-Replaced it? How is that possible?" he queried, his face hopeful and disbelieving to equal parts. "Cologne said—"

"Look at me, Ryoga. Notice any differences?" Ranma dryly asked with both brows raised.

The lost boy took the time to give Ranma a good once over, starting at her face and hair, which caused both of his brows to rise into his furry hairline. His attention, formerly having been focussed solely on his own transformation, was now fully on an equally transformed redhead, who wasn't even a pure redhead any more. Ryoga doubted very much that Ranma had used the time he had been out to dye her hair, and the full impact of the changes his friend had apparently undergone made him stagger back in surprise.

"Holy shit! You look just like one of the Senshi, Ranma! Is this another disguise of yours or what?" he asked against his better judgement, his senses already telling him that this was the real deal and that Ranma had indeed been transformed into a magical girl.

Ranma frowned and shot her friend a disapproving look. Shrugging her irritation off in favour of offering proof she concentrated on the magic within her and brought it to the surface. A feeling of calm, controlled power filled the room, not strong enough to catch attention, but Ryoga's newly gained pointy ears noticeably twitched.

"That answer your question?" she asked levelly, giving the wide-eyed Ryoga a neutral stare.

"Y-Yes," Ryoga managed. "But how?"

Ranma smiled in answer. "Let's join the others downstairs, buddy, they don't know 'bout it either. And I don't feel like telling the same story twice."

"Right. Heh, can't wait to see their reactions. This is so much cooler than that damned pig-curse. But I gotta pay Mousse back nevertheless. Don't worry," he soothed at seeing her look, "I won't harm him, but I will give him a good scare," he concluded with a wolfish grin.

Ranma chuckled. "You do that. Methinks Shampoo might find it amusing. Downstairs now?"

"Yeah. Bet they'll all keel over backwards 'cause you've become a magical girl, Ranma," Ryoga chuckled, shaking his head in amusement as he closed the distance to the door without becoming disoriented once.

Ranma just raised a brow in curiosity and followed the nearly seven foot tall jackal-human hybrid.

-.-

Ryoga had been right that they would raise a few brows, and he downright revelled in the looks he was receiving when he came into the field of vision of the others, and his snout sported a distinctive smirk. Ranma wasn't really getting any looks seeing as she had dropped out of her transformation—simply by willing her magic to change her into her 'civilian form'—and held herself in the background.

Her uniform had transformed into comfortable pants and a shirt that fitted her pregnant form much better than the clothes she had previously worn. It didn't bother her that the colour scheme was of the same silver as her Serenity clothes had been, as long as they were so heavenly comfortable.

Nabiki, being the perceptive young woman she was, seemed to notice something as Ranma followed Ryoga into the serving area, but her gaze was involuntarily drawn to the transformed lost boy. The redhead didn't mind one bit, this was his show, she thought with a secret little smile.

All eyes were on Ryoga and no one batted a lash when Ranma sat down in the free chair to Kasumi's right, and the attendees watched with bated breath as Ryoga walked up to Mousse and planted himself in front of the Amazon. The cursed young man gulped as he gazed up into Ryoga's yellow eyes, and he flinched back when the lost boy's furry face was suddenly in his own.

"So it was you whom I have to thank for this form, huh?" he exclaimed, and added "How could you let me walk into the room on my own, knowing how bad I am with directions? It's all your fault!"

Mousse was visibly intimidated by the human-jackal-hybrid in front of him, and only his upbringing as an Amazon enabled him to keep his pants dry. "Err, sorry, R-Ryoga, my glasses were dirty and I c-couldn't see t-too well."

Ryoga growled threateningly, inwardly rolling on the ground with laughter. Mousse's reaction was just too amusing. "I suggest you get your eyes fixed, then," he rumbled. "As for this cursed form…" he raised his right claw and Mousse looked ready to bolt until Ryoga's face broke into a broad grin, "It could have been much worse," he concluded, placing his claw on Mousse's left shoulder.

"You… You are not mad at me?" Mousse asked with an astonished expression, his brown eyes staring at the transformed young man in front of him in disbelief.

Everyone was hard pressed to keep their laughter in at his point due to the fact that Ryoga had so obviously played Mousse to get back at him—everyone bar Akane, who just looked plain relieved that the poor Ryoga had not gutted Mousse for causing this accident—and the lost boy's grin only widened.

"No, man. This form can and will be very useful in combat situations, and I see it more as an asset than a curse. Provided I can change back," he added worriedly.

Shampoo acted quickly as ever, and before he could even blink Ryoga had the contents of a cup of tea in his face. The change happened as quickly as with every other Jusenkyo victim, and the lost boy's disgruntled expression stemming from having hot tea dripping down his face quickly changed into one of elation.

"Great!" he exclaimed in a joyous shout. He was sorely tempted to sweep Ranma off her feet, but remembered her condition just in time. "Thank you, Ranma, for everything you did!"

"You're welcome," Ranma replied with a modest grin, her eyes holding a glint to them that Ryoga understood all too well. The debt of honour had been paid, and both their honour was now their own again.

Ryoga finally broke the eye contact. "Err, what exactly was it that you did, Ranma?" the lost boy queried as soon as he remembered that the redhead had eluded answering the question as to what she had done to help him yet again.

The redhead simply smiled. "I'll gladly explain everything if I can get my hands on some food first. Loads and loads of food. Doing what I did was incredibly tiring and made me as hungry as a pack of wolves."

Cologne nodded knowingly. "I figured as much, for whatever you did, we could feel it even down here. And that is why we prepared a healthy dinner," she commented and pogoed over to the kitchen, Shampoo, Ukyo and Kasumi following her.

The redhead's smile changed into a wolfish grin. "Great! My three favourite cooks at work—together! That's so cool!" she gushed, making everyone grin.

"Only you can get so excited over food, Ranma," Nabiki chuckled. "I shudder to think what would happen should you fail and that Asteroid does graze Earth. You'd likely eat the survivors out of house and home."

"That was _not_ funny, sis," Akane chided in a deeply disapproving voice. "One doesn't make jokes about something as serious as the end of the world as we know it."

Nabiki shrugged dismissively. "The only thing I do not make jokes about is money," she retorted with a neutral expression. "Everything else is fair game, except family and friends. And I tease even them on occasion, such as now."

Ranma smiled, inwardly relieved that Nabiki had listed her—even if just implicitly—in the family and friends category. Having Senny had helped to alleviate the emptiness inside her, that part of her that was practically starved for attention, for she knew for sure that her daughter loved her, but hearing others say that she mattered to them, that she was important filled her with a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Her smile only grew when her three favourite cooks came back into the serving area, each balancing bowls filled with various foods. Ranma was about to get to her feet to help, but her friends waved her off and practically ordered her to remain seated.

The pregnant girl scoffed but couldn't fight the small grin that appeared on her face as the others began to set the table. It was nice to be cared for, and her friends didn't make the mistake to treat her like a fragile little china doll just because she happened to be pregnant. What still irked her though was the thought that she had had to become pregnant in the first place to be treated somewhat normally, but that was probably the way her life worked.

The plethora of wonderful smells emitted by the various bowls of food made Ranma forget these morose thoughts in the twinkling of an eye, and the redhead peered curiously into the bowls and dishes Cologne, Kasumi and Ukyo had prepared. The Elder had unsurprisingly prepared Chinese dishes, such as yasai soup, ma-bo tofu, shrimp fried rice, Gyoza, cha-su-men, niku dango, tamago soup, gomoku rice and styr-fry vegetable.

Ranma's gaze travelled to the dishes Kasumi had prepared, and the man turned woman arced a delicate brow as she realised that the woman she had come to view as her older sister had exclusively prepared Japanese dishes.

Kasumi noticed her surprised and questioning look and met it with an amused smile from her seat across from Ranma and explained that Cologne kept her kitchen stocked with Japanese ingredients and food to make the menu the Nekohanten offered more well rounded. Cologne was obviously amused at Ranma's reaction, but the redhead overcame the surprise fast and helped herself to a food selection that encompassed tamago soup, gomoku rice and all of her favourite foods for starters, and, not to forget, two okonomiyaki.

Everybody else followed Ranma's example suit and soon something akin to a feast commenced. Friendly conversation sprang up as is bound to happen during meals, and the questions soon began to centre on the changes that had happened to Ryoga.

It was plain as daylight that everyone was dying to find out what Ranma had done to save their friend, but even the lost boy wouldn't tell them anything, simply due to the fact that he had no idea what had transpired. A certain not so petite as before redhead was the only one privy to this knowledge.

And said redhead in question was still happily stuffing her face with foods of all sorts, and as much as her hunger decreased her magic was recuperating in turn. Ranma didn't have that much experience with her magic as of yet, to be truthful almost none at all, but somehow she knew that she hadn't 'charged up' sufficiently yet so that she could try to attain her higher form.

A small grin adorned her face nevertheless when she realised that she would have to train her magic in order to bolster her magical capacity. Her daughter had been right in this respect as well, her becoming a magical girl didn't provide her with as much power as she wanted, she still had to train to become stronger, and boy did she like it that way.

She of course noticed the curious looks the others shot her while they were eating and generally busy with stuffing their faces, and the redhead decided to keep her audience on tenterhooks on a whim and continued to stuff her face with pleasure.

The pregnant martial artist belched softly on the quiet, exhibiting some of the manners her daughter had taught her. Strictly speaking she was royalty—being directly related to the late Queen Serenity and all that—but Ranma being, well, Ranma she didn't give a damn about it, seeing that it didn't matter nowadays anyhow in her opinion.

Returning her attention to the present she leant back in her chair and rested her hands on her full belly, which she then began to softly stroke. Ranma gave a content sigh and closed her eyes for a few moments until she heard several people clearing their throats rather impatiently. Opening her eyes she finally met the expectant looks of the others, a mischievous glint in her blue eyes.

"Is there something on my face or why are all of you looking at me? And here I took extra care to mind my table manners," she said mock-earnestly, adding a mock-sigh for effect.

The painful looking face-vaults that ensued around the table rewarded her richly, and she had to suppress a bout of giggles that threatened to escape her lips due to the sour looks that followed. a certain staff impacting her head made her yelp with surprise rather than actual pain, though.

"OWWIE! No hitting the pregnant woman!" she complained in a whiny tone as she rubbed the sore spot on her head where the staff had impacted.

"Hadn't Cologne-san bopped you on the head I'd have done it, Ranma," Akane said in an exasperated voice, giving the redhead a half-lidded stare. "Come on, we wanna know what happened!"

"Details, Ranma," Nabiki added, leaning forward to give the redhead an intent stare. "Spill."

"Yeah, Ranchan, come on. Don't stall."

"Stalling? Moi?" Ranma asked, pointing her right thump at herself, her brows raised in mock-indignation. "I was just enjoying an excellent dinner, is all.

"But okay," she added in face of the many not amused faces, "I will indulge you all in what happened. Or better yet," she mused, smiling mischievously while getting to her feet, "I will show you."

"Show? Now you have made an old woman really curious, chóngsunnu," Cologne remarked, her stoic face revealing nothing, yet her eyes clearly showed her curiosity.

Ranma stepped about twenty centimetres away from the table under the watchful eyes of the others and grinned into the round as she brought her magic to the fore. "SERENITY POWER, MAKE UP!" she added for effect as she commanded her magic to trigger the transformation.

A blinding flash of silver light encompassed the room as the transformation commenced, and when the light had cleared away and everyone could see again their eyes fell upon a sight none of them had ever expected to see.

"R-Ranma… Y-You r-really are a magical girl!" Akane exclaimed, blurting the first words that came to her mind, shock and surprise written on her face. "I thought you were joking back there!"

Nabiki chuckled, which made everyone turn to face her. "Oh, it's nothing," she assured them with a gesture of her hands. "I was just thinking how often I had played with the thought to, err, persuade Ranma to pose for a few shots in a fuku. And now _that_… It's just too rich."

Ranma laced Nabiki with a glare. "Persuade, eh? Suuuuure," she drawled. "But you know what they say… Water under the bridge and all that. Now back to business," she mused, her right index finger at her chin, her face completely serious. "Yeah, I obviously am a magical girl, Akane got that right. And that's the sacrifice I mentioned before I shooed you guys outta the room."

She began to pace for a bit, struggling to find the right words as she fought to regain her emotional control, which hadn't been the best ever since her pregnancy. "I-I just couldn't leave one of my friends to his fate. I have so few," she added, saying the last bit in barely a whisper, her left hand going involuntarily up to her eyes to wipe away the tears that had gathered there.

The redhead barely had had enough time to complete the act of wiping her eyes when she suddenly found herself on the receiving end of a strong, yet gentle hug. Her blue eyes looked up in surprise to discern the identity of the person hugging her, and found to her ever increasing surprise that it was Ryoga.

"You'll always have my friendship, Ranma. I can not thank you enough for what you did for me, even if turning yourself into a magical girl to pull it off begs the question if you were outta your mind," he said with an amused snort.

Ranma's face split into a playful grin, her sorrows melting away like ice in the sunshine. "I'm quite sure I hadn't lost my marbles when I made the decision," she said, finally hugging him back. "I'm a woman half of the time anyway, agreeing to awaken my magical powers was but a small step. Especially considering that I always had the magic in me, it was just… dormant," she explained.

Ryoga smiled down at her, and the lost boy slowly shook his head. "It's remarkable how much you've changed from what you were in Junior High, Ranma. I know we haven't always seen eye to eye, but know that you will always have my friendship. You can count on me in what is to come, this I swear on my honour."

"I-I am touched, pal," Ranma said after a few moments silence during which she hadn't known what to say, strengthening the hug for a few moments before letting go, Ryoga mirroring her. "Thank you." she added, her completely open and honest face conveying her thankfulness much better than words ever could.

The lost boy simply nodded back as the others followed suit with declarations that they would stand by Ranma as well. It was a redhead in much better spirits that reclaimed her chair, and friendly chit-chat accompanied by yet another intake of food ensued, the questions centring around how exactly Ranma had become a magical girl. And the redhead, now being used to play the role of the story teller told the tale of how her life had taken another turn for the strange yet again…

-.-

Silence permeated the serving area of the Nekohanten yet again on this fine summer day, stemming from the unbelief shared amongst the attendees pertaining to the fact that the strangest things on Earth always seemed to happen to Ranma, and that the redhead had been so mature about the reasons as to why she had chosen to take the step.

"So you're a magical girl now, Ranma. What's next? World domination?" Akane playfully jibed, a big grin on her face, mirth glinting in her brown eyes.

"Her daughter is the genetic reincarnation of a Queen…" Kasumi added in a mock-thoughtful tone before Ranma could retort, causing said teen to groan.

"Lay it off, will you," she sighed, rolling her eyes to the amusement of the others. "As funny as ruling the world would be, it'd be too much of a bother. Me, I don't wanna have the headache the crown's having, and their function's largely representative nowadays. How much of a hassle must it be to rule the whole wide world then?"

"More than it's worth, chóngsunnu," Cologne mused into the silence that had ensued. "That's why the tribe gave up on that ambition a long time ago. Too much of a hassle indeed."

"True," Nabiki mused in a thoughtful tone. "But if I promote Ranma in the right way after she has saved the world it might bring with it a good deal of influence—"

"I have other worries, Nabiki," Ranma interrupted smoothly, her expression neutral. "We gotta stop that friggin' big rock first, and that's gonna be damn hard considering the opposition. Everything else comes later."

"Hell yeah," Ryoga agreed with a snort. "The Senshi may not have much in regards physical prowess, but they sure got one helova firepower."

"Oh yeah," Akane exclaimed with a troubled expression. "I once saw Sailor Saturn dispose of a large group of Youma as if they were a minor nuisance. It'll get really tough, Ranma."

"I know Akane, I know," the redhead replied, nodding slowly at her ex-fiancée. "But neither Senny nor I have a choice. We simply refuse to let billions die just so whatever Pluto is planning will come to pass. I am well aware that I will need allies, even considering the power we have—"

"What are powers, sister Ranma?" Shampoo queried curiously.

Ranma turned her head to look at the Amazon, a small smile upturning the corners of her mouth at seeing that the purple haired Amazon had accepted her having ceased to be the Airen. "Sister, eh? I like it, Shampoo. As for your question, I can't show you my higher form right now, my magic is just too low at the moment. But my Serenity form—that's what I call it—feels pretty darn strong."

"The question is, will it be enough?" Nabiki mused thoughtfully, playing the devil's advocate.

"No." Ranma replied flatly, taking everyone aback with her bluntness. Her admittance also drove home the point that Ranma had really grown up, for her admitting her inability to come out on top would have been unthinkable half a year ago.

"No?" Ukyo, Akane and Shampoo queried in unison.

"No," Ranma repeated, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. "Even the power of Senny plus my own won't be enough to beat the Senshi in an all-out fight, not even once we have reached the height of our powers. We'll need allies, strong allies. There's just no way around it."

"Oh," was all the teens managed.

Cologne, having the experience of three centuries on her side had already thought ahead. "It's likely that the tribe will help once we offer proof. Our elites should be good enough to offer at least a distraction, and you have already taken steps to 'convince' my fellow Elders that you won't allow any games," she said with a toothy grin.

Ranma mirrored the grin. "My daughter figured that the power-boost would come in handy, and it seems she was right if you share her assessment. I find it reassuring to have it right from the horse's mouth that the other Elders will react the way we figured, even if the horse in question looks more like an old mummy," she teased playfully.

The obligatory bop to the head followed as well as some friendly bantering, and the conversation moved on.

"What about Herb?" Ryoga suggested thoughtfully after several minutes of contemplation. "I know he wasn't exactly, err, friendly or anything," he added at seeing Mousse's and Ranma's looks, "but he sure is powerful. If we—"

"—could convince him to join forces against a common enemy," Cologne took up the thought, her tiny right index finger rubbing the bridge of her nose, "it would mean a substantial boost in firepower."

"Feh. Herb joining forces is about as likely as Saffron joining us," Ranma remarked sarcastically.

"Saffron! Too too good idea, sister!" Shampoo exclaimed appraisingly, missing the sarcasm completely.

_"You should really put more effort into properly learning and understanding Japanese and its nuances, Xian Pu," _Cologne scolded mildly._ "Your sister was being most sarcastic,"_ she explained, a hint of amusement shining in her eyes at seeing her great-granddaughter's embarrassed reaction.

_"Feh. That proves yet again that Japanese is a stupid language, making me miss vital information like that. Too bad sister Ranma can not understand us,"_ Shampoo complained with a pout.

_"Oh, but I can, sister Xian Pu,"_ a grinning Ranma replied in perfect, unaccented Mandarin, surprising not just those of Chinese origin.

"Imotouchan, since when do you speak Chinese?" Kasumi queried in the stunned silence that was the serving area, a curious yet delighted expression on her face. "That's great as it makes things just so much easier!"

"I know, oneechan," Ranma replied in amusement, revelling in the surprised and curious expressions of the others. **'Damn, I just love to surprise the hell outta others!'** she thought mischievously. **'Just that that development surprised the hell outta me as well. But what they don't know won't hurt 'em.'**

"Dear, you will never cease to be a source of surprises, will you?" Cologne mused with an amused shake of her head.

"I sure hope not," Ranma retorted, giggling briefly. "As for why I can speak and understand Mandarin, which you are all dying to find out gauging from the looks on your faces," she added, leaning forward in her chair, looking from face to face with an amused and mischievous glint in her eyes, "it's magic."

Face-vaults ensued around the table. "Not funny, Saotome," Mousse finally commented, rubbing his aching jaw from where it had impacted the ground.

"Yeah, Ranma, what's the real reason?" Akane demanded, staring intently at the other girl.

"I think you don't understand what Ranma was trying to say, guys. She meant it has to do with her magic that she can speak and understand Chinese all of a sudden, and she meant it quite literally," Ryoga explained in Ranma's stead.

"See? He understood it just fine," Ranma exclaimed smugly and leant back in her chair, folding her hands behind her head.

"Just because Ryoga miraculously became a 'Ranma expert'," Nabiki stated, making quotation marks in the appropriate places to convey the sarcasm, "doesn't mean any of us are. So it is your magic causing this effect, yeah?"

"10,000 Yen," Ranma replied with a big grin to tease the older girl, her right hand outstretched, palm up.

"This is getting repetitive, Ranma," Nabiki retorted with a neutral expression, rubbing her temples in slight irritation.

"Yeah," Akane agreed, crossing her arms under her breasts.

"They're right, Ranchan. Tell us already!" Ukyo added, using the feared attack commonly known as the 'puppy-dog-eyes' to get the redhead to spill if her magic was responsible or if she had just been learning Chinese non-stop—which she didn't believe for a second—, and the pregnant girl actually began to fidget due to the cutesy attack.

**'It is good to see some of the old Ranma in her, as much as I claimed I hated him,'** Ryoga thought, a small grin playing on his face as he watched the redhead that had drastically improved his life.

"Okay, okay," Ranma finally relented, "No 10,000 Yen, then."

"Ranma!" Akane—being of short temper as always—barked, brown eyes flashing.

"Jeez, okay already. No need to bring out the mallet, so chill," Ranma muttered. "So, err… what was the question again? Meh, being pregnant makes me so forgetful… oh, yeah, magic…

"Well, you see," she continued, ignoring the glares that had been sent her way, "ever since I gained full access to my magic and these transformations I just could understand what Cologne and Shampoo were saying when they spoke in their native tongue. It took just a few words and I could speak it as well. It is as if my magic is some kinda…"

"Universal translator?" Nabiki suggested, tilting her head to the left as her formidable intellect computed potential uses.

"Yeah," Ranma agreed with a nod. "That's the term."

"Wouldn't that mean you could negotiate with Herb and Saffron in their native tongues? That would practically guarantee you an increase in respect—more so than you already hold because of your skill and power," Cologne added her two cents, clicking her tongue.

"I agree, Ranma. A grudge due to the way they treated you and the others of our group should not stop you from trying to gain them as allies. The Asteroid endangers them as much as us, and I doubt they'll sit by idly once they learn of the danger," Nabiki reasoned.

"She is right, Ranma," Akane added, following up her sister, Ranma's undecided expression giving her hope. "You told me that Saffron was some kind of power plant for his people, a living reactor. With him reduced to his infant form they are doomed to death. If they join forces with us they have a chance, and I am sure they would take it, despite what has happened."

_"They are right, sister. You know as much as I do that the adult Saffron is very powerful and it would benefit us greatly if we could enlist his help—and that of his tribe._

_"You said yourself that we will need powerful allies. So why discard sources so obvious?"_ Shampoo asked with her delicate right brow raised, her purple red eyes surveying her 'sister' questioningly.

_"I see your point, sister,"_ Ranma replied with a respectful inclination of her head. _"And don't take this the wrong way, but I am glad that you are not the bimbo your poor lingual skills made you seem,"_ she added with an apologetic grin.

Cologne nearly fell off her staff from laughing so hard—which caused amused and curious reactions from those who could not understand Chinese—while Mousse looked a bit peeved. Shampoo on her part got out of her chair and slowly walked behind Ranma's, coming to a stop behind the pregnant martial artists' back.

_"A bimbo, huh?"_ Shampoo queried softly. _"I guess speaking like I was forced to by my own difficulties with the Japanese language made it seem this way._

_"But I fear I can't let you get away with implying you took me for a bimbo… KACHUU TENCHIN AMAGURIKEN REVISED—ULTIMATE TICKLE ATTACK!"_ she exclaimed, and began doing what the attack name suggested, tickling Ranma's sides mercilessly yet very soft and careful at blinding speeds.

Ranma began howling with laughter under the amused looks of the others and squirmed in her chair, slowly but surely getting red in the face. _"Sto…. Stop it! I… I give… up!"_ she exclaimed between bouts of giggles, her attempts at a defence totally futile as she couldn't even get out of her chair.

Shampoo leant forward over Ranma's right shoulder and looked the other girl into the face, surveying her with an innocent expression as she continued her assault. _"Did you say something, sister? If so you must have spoken in a dialect I am not familiar with. You will have to repeat what you said,"_ she said, pulling of to sound apologetic and smug at the same time.

_"No… fair!"_ Ranma managed as the assault continued, wracking her body with fits of laughter.

Cologne was actually rolling on the ground with laughter coming from her tiny body that could only be called a laughing fit. the Elder was banging her tiny left hand—which she had balled into a fist—on the wooden flooring. "Ranma… giving… up! Different… dialect! BWAHAHAHAHA!"

A collective sweatdropping ensued and everyone hurried to return their attention back to Ranma and Shampoo, the latter still tickling the former mercilessly. Bemused eyes watched as Ranma's squirming intensified. _"P-Please… stop! S-Senny is… lying… on my… bladder! P-Please! I give!"_

_"Capitulation accepted,"_ Shampoo replied and ceased her 'tickle attack', her grin being audible even in her voice. _"As consequence of your defeat you are required to start negotiations with Saffron and Herb as soon as is convenient. Understood, sister?"_

_"Yeah, yeah, anything, just let me go to the loo before I explode!"_ Ranma exclaimed, sending Cologne into a fresh pail of laughter due to her pleading and half-whining tone accompanied by the pregnant martial artist squeezing her legs together tightly, which made for an admittedly amusing picture.

Shampoo, not one to torture her former Airen and newly gained almost sister more than necessary stepped back and allowed the redhead enough space to get out of her chair, a big grin on the Amazon's face. "_There you go. Remember your promise, sister."_

Ranma shot the other girl a look that promised payback before practically teleporting to the restrooms. Later everyone would swear they'd heard the relieved sigh of one Ranma Saotome as she gave in to nature's call even despite the physical distance.

-.-

Cologne related what her great-granddaughter had 'talked' Ranma into while said redhead was conducting her business, and bemusement was the prevalent reaction. Everyone knew that Ranma hadn't really been talked into that and had just given in to the silliness of the moment, that she had already decided to prior to follow the others' advice Shampoo's 'attack'.

It was testament to how much the redhead had grown up in the last six months, because these six months ago Ranma would probably have discarded their opinion due to her pride.

Nevertheless, the indignant look Ranma shot the group as she returned from the restrooms caused amusement amongst the attendees, and the pout the silvery-redhaired young woman displayed even more so. It was Ryoga who finally took pity on his friend and attempted to stir the conversation back to less embarrassing topics.

"What will happen now, Ranma? Do you have a plan?"

The pout disappeared from her face and her head swivelled to look at him, a serious expression on her face. "I got the coordinates for where I wanna go, but I'll have to wait for Chibi Moon to come back. She can teleport, but I ain't got an idea if I can, and if, how."

"Wow, wouldn't it be cool to be able to teleport?" Akane mused with a dreamy expression on her face. "All the places one could visit… New York, Paris, Rome… the sights, the foods, shopping for clothes..." she trailed off.

Ranma smiled openly. "Who would have thought you to be such a romantic and clothes horse, tomboy," she teased, her smile widening to show that she was teasing.

"We don't all have magic to create fine new clothes for us, Ranma. Isn't it such a nice fuku you are wearing?" the youngest Tendo girl teased back.

"Ouch," Ranma winced, clasping her left hand over her heart in an overly dramatic way which made the others smile. "That hurt.

"But seriously, it's as I said, it ain't so bad. I was able to change the specs, at least. I ain't gonna have to prance around in such a fuckin' short fuku that'd make me the target and wet dream of every perv out there. Heh, I just had the mental image of what would happen if Happi were to ever meet Pluto…

"Think he would like to liberate her silky darlings?" she trailed off with an evil gleam in her silver-blue eyes, her face contorted in barely contained glee that made everyone inch back.

Surprisingly it was Kasumi who answered first after thinking on the topic. "As much as I like to walk the path of peace, I must say that the idea has merit. Pluto deserves decent payback for how she has treated you. I say go for it."

Ranma nodded slowly and switched her attention to Ukyo who had just begun to add her two cents. "Kasumi is right, sugar. While I wouldn't wish the old troll on any female far and wide normally Pluto is the sole exception. It's safe to assume that she tried to kill your daughter, and we ain't gonna let her get away with that, are we?"

"Hell no!" came the chorus from everyone beside an amused looking Cologne.

"Children, I hope you never cease to be a source of inspiration for an old woman," she said with laughter in her big, brown eyes. "Ranma, you can be sure I will add my own two cents on how to get back at the Time Witch. The tribe has its own score to settle with her," she concluded, her brown eyes now serious and hard as diamonds.

"How so, hibachan?" Shampoo queried in Ranma's stead.

The matriarch sighed deeply before switching into story-teller mode. "No proof exists, but an outside influence has been felt many a time throughout our tribe's history. The most notable being a vicious battle against the Musk 1,200 years ago. The tribe was prospering and strong, our warriors were respected for their skill and ferocity in battle.

"No one had survived an attack on the tribe for eight hundred years, and our ancestors had good reason to be convinced of their pathos. They had magical artefacts that aided them, the Amazon Wu had already been perfected back then, everything seemed perfectly fine. In fact, the village of old was six times the size it is nowadays.

"But then they came. The Musk. They had not yet perfected the blending of human and animal, but they already were a force to be reckoned with. Strong, well armed and of a superior endurance they fought a worthy fight, and many sisters died a heroes death that day. Despite our losses our people fought back and managed to drive the invading forces off. Until—"

"Until what?" the teens breathed, hanging on the Elder's every word.

"Until our northern walls and fortifications were breached as if they had not been reinforced wood fifty centimetres thick, fortified with loam. The sentry towers at the northern side were completely eradicated as well, and we know for a fact that the Musk did not possess the firepower to cause this much destruction.

"Nevertheless, it turned the tides of the battle in the Musk's favour, and many of our sisters ended up killed or worse until our returning scouting parties managed to aid our sisters. Ultimately they managed to drive the Musk off, but the costs were high. So very high.

"The village had had a population of 20,000 women, men and children prior to the attack and stretched out for five miles in every direction, but when the attack was over we had been reduced to a population of about 5,000, our village to about one sixth of what it had been.

"We never recovered from that, and numerous incidents throughout the ages have kept us from growing. There is no evidence, but our lore masters related reports of survivors who swore they had seen a blinding pink light before our perimeter was breached."

"The Dead Scream," Ranma growled between clenched teeth, her face a mask of fury.

"What, Ranma-honey?" Ukyo queried with question-marks floating above her head.

"Pluto's signature attack," Akane explained. "She whispers the attack name, and that staff or hers launches a fuchsia coloured energy ball. Very destructive."

"Oh yes," both Ranma and Ryoga agreed with vehement nods.

"I wouldn't put it past Pluto to have crippled the tribe," Ranma mused. "You probably were a danger to her perfect future had the tribe continued to prosper. Is that why your people instated the outsider protocols? Out of sheer paranoia?"

"That's over-simplifying things, but yes, that's the general gist. We needed to bring in new, strong males and eliminate those females that could ever become a danger to the tribe, but I will be honest, the outsider protocols are more of a hindrance nowadays, an anachronism in modern times," Cologne said with a tired expression.

_"Would you change them if you had the power to, great-grandmother?"_ Shampoo queried in her native tongue, her head tilted to the right in curious interest, interest that was mirrored by everyone after Ranma had related what Shampoo had asked.

"Yes, I would. Our tribe needs to bring in fresh blood, but it can not be done using the approach the outsider protocols employ. The Kiss of Death is especially problematic, for it's unlikely that foreign countries will take kindly to having their citizens killed over a challenge one of our sisters lost, and the consequences could be dire for the tribe.

"Luckily nothing of that kind has happened up till now, but we can not depend on chance if we want to ensure the survival and prosperity of the tribe. If the laws were to remain in place we would ultimately be playing into the hands of our enemy."

"I see," Ranma commented after a few moments, her serious expression slowly changing into a smirk. "Then it's a good thing I will demand the outsider protocols be abolished once the tribe will ask for the refuge only Lemuria can offer."

"Provided it exists, chóngsunnu," Cologne reasoned.

"Point taken, hibachan," Ranma replied with a grin. "But I am sure it does exist, and once it comes to them asking for refuge I will place my conditions and force them to accept," she concluded with steel in her voice.

The sound of someone knocking on the front door could be heard, and the attendees looked at each other in surprise. Cologne met Ranma's gaze and inclined her head, then she got up and pogoed over to the door, confident that she would be able to deal with anyone considering the concentration of power and skill backing her up in form of the youths.

Cologne opened the door slowly and peered out, her eyes catching sight of a plain looking girl that could have been a cousin of the Tendos. The matriarch's eyes lit up as she recognised the disguise one Sailor Chibi Moon had chosen for herself.

"Hello, matriarch. May I come in? It's getting rather hot, and I don't just mean the temperature, if you catch my drift," the young girl said seriously.

"Of course. I take it you completed your task and kept true to your word?" Cologne queried as she beckoned the young girl in.

Chibi Moon took a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly. "I did. It was hard for me, but what I did will help us in the future. I can not tell you right now," she added at seeing Cologne's curious look, entering the restaurant at the older woman's side, "ask me again once we have found Lemuria and have come back."

Cologne nodded. "Ranma trusts you, and that is good enough for me," she said solemnly, her face suddenly changing from serious to amused. "Who would have thought that Ranma of all people would change so much in half a year? She is finally becoming the leader I have always seen in her. And that is what makes me hopeful for the future."

Usagi II. nodded slowly and turned her head towards the table the other teens were sitting at, noting that they were engrossed in a discussion that seemed to centre around Ranma. A Ranma who was obviously changed. The disguised Chibi Sailor Moon barely managed to contain her squeal of delight as she rushed over to the silvery-redhaired young woman and hugged the surprised Saotome youth from behind.

"You managed it! You managed it! You managed it!" she chanted happily, positively glowing with happiness. "I knew you would manage the transformation, Ranma! I just knew it!"

Ranma arced her neck upwards and looked into Chibi Moon's laughing eyes. "It hasn't to do with you being from the future that you knew that by chance, has it?" she asked dryly.

"Whatever gave you this thought?" Chibi Moon retorted with a widening grin.

The silvery-redhaired woman snorted elegantly. "For those who don't know her history, this is Sailor Moon's daughter, Chibi Moon. And before you ask, yes, I do trust her.

"Why, you ask? Due to the simple fact that she is a member of the Serenity line, just like me. And being of that line has an... interesting side effect: we simply can not lie," she explained, a sheepish smile on her face.

"That's true," Chibi Moon confirmed, nodding rapidly. "We can refuse to answer, but if we answer a question we have to answer truthfully. Has something to do with the Royal line having to set a good example or something," she shrugged.

"So that is where your foot-in-mouth comes from, Ranma. Who would have thought," Nabiki teased lightly.

"At least there is hope for Ranma-honey yet. All he has to do is to keep his mouth shut," Ukyo suggested.

"Nah, that's never gonna work," Akane, Nabiki and Ukyo then said in unison, while Kasumi and the Amazons shared a look of bemusement.

"Hey, I'm right here, you know. It ain't polite talkin' 'bout someone as if they ain't there!" Ranma protested.

"We're talking about you, not to you, Ranma," Akane said with a teasing grin. "That makes all the difference."

"Oh, that makes me feel so much better," Ranma retorted sourly, which caused snickering around the table into which Ranma joined in a few moments later.

**'How I have missed seeing Ranma-sama acting so… carefree,'** Chibi Moon thought as she let go of the other girl. **'But we gotta get a move on or the others may find us, and that can't happen.'**

"Ranma-sama," Chibi Moon muttered reluctantly, just loud enough to be heard, "We should take to our heels. As long as we stay here you're in danger."

"I know," Ranma replied softly, a deep sigh escaping her lips. The fuku-clad girl distinctly looked like she didn't want to leave, but necessity won out in the end. "Can you teleport us to the following coordinates, Chibi?" she asked, listing them.

Chibi Moon nodded after brief contemplation. "Sure."

The Saotome girl nodded satisfied, and looked into the round, giving each of her friends a sad smile. "I haven't got an inkling when I'm gonna be able to contact you, but I'll try to do so as soon as possible. I've missed all of you, and it ain't gonna be another half year if I can help it," she promised, wiping a few tears away.

Kasumi was the first to get to her feet and embraced Ranma in a hug, quickly followed by Akane and even Nabiki, making it a three-way-hug of four nearly bawling women.

"Take care, Ranma-imotouchan," a sniffling Kasumi said. "I hope we see each other before your due date. I would love to help."

Ranma smiled faintly. "As much as I dread the birth, I'd like that, oneechan. If I'd want anyone as my midwife it'd be you," she replied, enjoying the radiant and thankful smile that lit up her 'older sister's' face.

"Don't run into traps, Ranma," Nabiki added only half jokingly, giving her a smile. "Kami-sama knows you have a knack for it."

The Saotome girl chuckled and wiped a few tears away. "Hey, I ain't go lookin' for trouble, it usually comes lookin' for me," she snorted good-naturedly.

"What's that, the great Ranma Saotome crying?" Akane teased, wiping tears away herself.

Ranma chuckled, drying her eyes completely using her left sleeve. "Someone told me it's 'kay for girls to cry, Akane."

Akane shook her head as she surveyed the other girl. "You've really changed, Ranma, and all for the better."

"Ssssssssht, doncha tell anyone or my rep's gonna be ruined!" Ranma stage-whispered, her eyes twinkling.

The four girls laughed and bantered for a little while, until Ranma dislodged herself from the group-hug. Seeing that Ryoga was engrossed in polite conversation with Mousse over the advantages and disadvantages of being a weapons user Ranma approached her oldest—female—childhood friend next.

"Ucchan," she began and oofed as she found herself on the receiving end of a strong yet careful hug, "I want you to think carefully about joining us in Lemuria. I'm certain it exists, and I will find and use it, with Chibi Moon's help.

"Please, I don't wanna lose any of my friends. Being here makes you a target, if you want or not. Promise me you'll think about it."

"I will, Ranchan, I will. And you promise me to take care of yourself." Ukyo said with tears in her eyes, softly patting Ranma's back.

Ranma drew slightly back and looked the other girl in the eyes. "Promised," she replied solemnly. "I hope to see you soon." she concluded, softly removing herself from the hug.

The chef nodded, wiped the tears she had shed away and sat back down, pulling herself together for a moment before joining the others in the discussion of what Lemuria would look like provided it still existed.

Ranma had meanwhile crossed over to where her oldest male childhood friend was standing and came to a stop few centimetres away from him. Mousse, being polite to Ranma for the first time in his life left them with the excuse he'd to help himself to some tea so that the other martial artists had the privacy needed.

"Ryoga," Ranma began, looking at the lost boy, "I can't thank you enough for helping me. Thanks for being my friend," she exclaimed and hugged Ryoga who was leaning against the wall.

Said lost boy rolled his shoulders and pitched his weight away from the wall and encircled Ranma with his arms, carefully hugging her back. "Ahh, that was nothing, I mean, I did it gladly, heh heh," he said, scratching the back of his head. "And I'll come with you, Ranma. Wherever you go, I'm sure I can help," he added, looking at her with a serious expression.

Ranma met his intent gaze and sighed. "Ryoga, please don't get me wrong, you're a real good friend, someone who stood by me when I needed it. But I can not take you with me as I have something more important for you to do.

"You need to stay in Nerima so that you can protect Akane and her sisters," she added, seeing that she had his undivided attention. "I do not know how much Pluto knows about my connection to them, but I will not risk anything. You, Ryoga, are the only one who could help them by getting them and yourself 'lost', like you did with me. I implore you to help Akane, Nabiki and Kasumi to get stronger."

Ryoga , who'd wanted to interrupt her, nodded slowly. "I understand, Ranma. I'll help them, and I'll protect them with my life if necessary!" he vowed solemnly.

"No need to be so melodramatic," Ranma chuckled with mirth in her eyes. "Just protect them and help them to get stronger so that they can protect themselves. I don't fancy my sisters being sitting ducks," she concluded seriously, all evidence of her mirth gone.

"So you want us to train as well," Nabiki mused with a look at her older sister, her face thoughtful.

"Yes, Nabiki, Kasumi," she said, turning her head to look at them with an intent gaze of her silver-blue eyes, "We can not afford to have liabilities, and that means you will have to learn how to defend yourselves, at least well enough for you to last until help arrives. I am really, really sorry that you got dragged into my messes," she concluded, her head dropping down, sadness literally emanating from her.

Kasumi was the first to reach Ranma and pulled her in a tight hug, and Nabiki—much to the redhead's surprise— stepped behind her and began to move her right hand on her back in circling, soothing motions.

"None of that is your fault, Ranma," the ex-mercenary said in level voice, "You didn't ask for it, none of it. You didn't ask for getting pregnant, you didn't ask for fighting for all our lives, you didn't ask for the responsibility of saving the human race as it is.

"Yet you do anyway, you shouldered the responsibility to do the honourable thing. If I can help you by becoming less of a target I will do it, even though I loath physical activity. Except one, that is," she added with a mischievous smirk.

"I didn't need to know that." Akane muttered, shaking her head, the others agreeing with frantic nods of their own. "Nabiki no Hentai," she added in a whisper.

Nabiki cracked her sister a grin. "You don't know what you're missing out on until you try it, but knowing you it's more likely that you'll end up in a nunnery, baby-sis," she teased.

"Very funny, sis," Akane replied with a scowl just as Ranma thanked her older sisters and carefully pulled herself out of the hug.

"Think nothing of it, Akane," the redhead said lightly after she had turned around to her ex-fiancée. "Just because most boys our age are immature, cloying kids don't mean there ain't exceptions. You'll find the one for you, Akane. Just don't let anyone pressure you," she said with a meaningful look the other girl understood all too well.

Seconds later a surprised redhead found herself engulfed in yet another hug as a teary-eyed Akane enveloped her softly yet firmly, and this time it was Ranma who moved her right hand in soothing circles on the other girls back. "It's all right, Akane. We were kids who were coerced and pressured into something we didn't understand or want, not the way things happened at least. Something just decided that we weren't meant to be, may it be fate, karma or Kami-sama knows what. It just wasn't meant to be," she sighed.

"That doesn't make it hurt less, Ranma," Akane whispered back with a sigh of her own.

Ranma smiled. "I know I have spoilt you rotten with my magnificent presence," she said with an air of mock-haughtiness that made Akane—and her sisters—giggle, "But keep an eye open for the one for you. It doesn't do to dwell on the past."

Akane drew back and looked her ex-fiancé into her sapphire eyes. "When did you become so wise, Ranma?" she queried with a shake of her head, a small, wondering smile playing in the corners of her mouth.

"It's all Senny's fault. She's a good influence on me," Ranma replied with a face as if that were the worst thing in the world. "Friends, Akane?"

"Friends, Ranma. And this time I won't go back on my word," Akane replied, her smile growing. "Never again. We'll be friends, forever and always."

Ranma's answering smile was brilliant, and readily expressed her hopefulness. "Forever and always."

-.-

Little later the planning had come to an end, the good byes had been said and the two magical girls present at the Nekohanten were ready to take their leave. For Ranma it was yet again a trip into the unknown, and most likely a leap from the frying pan into the fire, but who had said that the life of a magical girl wasn't fraught with peril?

She would have to rely on her abilities and on her uncanny ability to come out ahead out of situations that no normal person had a prayer to survive. The problems might just have begun, but she vowed to herself that the world would not become a frozen prison of death, not as long as she drew breath...

**to be continued**...


	10. Chapter 10

Been a while since the last update to this story, eh? Oh well.

Nobody's gonna want to hear my reasons for placing Chaotic Rebirth on hiatus in the first place, so lets skip the justification part and barge right ahead to a(n) (boring) explanation why this update's out before 2010.

What reignited my interest a while ago was the fact that Kishimoto had killed even the last bit of interest in me when it comes to all things pertaining to Naruto with how he screwed up canon, and that led me to the decision to send 'Raiju' off into the great beyond after a lengthy time of contemplation. With 'Raiju' gone I was left with more time on hand to write for other stories such as this one. How'd Ryoga say: Kishimoto, it's all your fault!

Well, the first nine chapters have undergone some severe revisions seeing as I had to clear up some plot holes here and there, and I couldn't leave well enough alone and added new stuff here and there as well. The obligatory spelling and grammar corrections are pretty much a given and thus almost not worth mentioning. My efforts should increase the readability of the story, at least I'd like to think so...

And just to head off confusion, the happenings in the first part of the chapter take place one day before the happenings in Chapter 9 and explain what Small Lady was up to.

Seeing that I don't wanna bore you all to death with further ramblings I'll just shut up now and leave you to reading the story.

Cheers.

**Title**: Chaotic Rebirth

**Author name**: Trugeta

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ as well as Naoko Takeuchi and many others. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Note further that I don't own any of the trademarked properties mentioned in this story. Also, the OCs used in this story are works of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead is not intended and purely coincidental.

This story takes place after the failed wedding in the Ranma series and the defeat of Galaxia in the Sailor Moon Series. It's an AU, and reviews are welcome and appreciated.

**Special thanks to**: BorgRabbit for editing services rendered and for generally being a damn great sounding board.

**Chapter 10**

_9:45 a.m., Juuban Ward, Tokyo, 7th September 2006_

The sky over Tokyo was overcast and the air was unusually hot and humid for the time of the year. One Usagi II., daughter of Usagi Tsukino aka Sailor Moon and nicknamed Chibi Usa, couldn't have cared less about the unusual warmth as she appeared in an alleyway in a seldom frequented district of Juuban, about five kilometres away from Juuban High.

Casting a quick glance around, she noted that no one had seen her teleporting in, confirming what her technical gadgets had told her beforehand. There was not a soul around, simply because this particular district had been hit very hard by Youma attacks and was thus still avoided like the plague by the general populace.

Which was why the unexpected sudden clanging noise from behind almost gave her a coronary, and Usa whirled around in a flash, ready to attack or defend at a moments notice. The disguised pinkette breathed a deep sigh of relief when she found that the source of disturbance had just been a black tomcat that had jumped on a trash bin.

"Stupid tom," she chuckled with a relieved expression, "Scaring a dozen years off my life."

The tomcat in question responded with an inquisitive meow and a curious look of his yellow eyes before returning his attention to the trash bin. Usa shook her head once to gather her bearings and checked her disguise on a whim in her compact (again). A quiet, nervous chuckle escaped her as she made sure that her little gadgets from the future were working as advertised and suppressed her magical aura, an aura that would otherwise have stood out like a bonfire to the likes of Sailor Pluto.

A few moments later, the heir to the Serenity line nodded in relief to herself when the check confirmed that everything was functioning perfectly. A minute frown crossed her features when she thought that everything would have gone so much smoother had her mother allowed her to take the stronger version with her that was able to cloak any and all magical outbursts.

Her mom had been right – as usual – however, it would be a terrible tool in the wrong hands with its ability to cover up even mass teleports, and a skilled enemy might be able to overcome the inbuilt safety measures and wreak havoc. Its much weaker brother presented no such danger in that regard and was just strong enough to safely cloak her.

The daughter of Sailor Moon chuckled quietly to herself at being so paranoid, but then, Sailor Pluto was a dangerous opponent to go up against and she couldn't afford mistakes; the quote 'better safe than sorry', old as it was, still held true even in the 30th century. One simply couldn't be over-prepared.

Usa breathed deeply in and out a few times to steel her resolve, then she left the alley wearing a determined expression and began walking towards her destination, Juuban High, at a brisk clip, her long black hair floating around her head like a halo. The normally pink-haired teenager allowed herself a small, satisfied smile at the choice of her disguise, that being an unassuming looking woman in her mid-twenties wearing clothes usually attributed to school personnel. Most people wouldn't spare a second glance. Just like she wanted.

Consulting her watch, Usa found that she had timed her arrival perfectly in that she'd have a chance to meet her best friend and most likely ally, one Hotaru Tomoe, during the next break, which would begin in about five minutes. The other Scouts having different schedules due to them being older would ensure that they'd be undisturbed, just as she had planned.

The daughter of Sailor Moon suppressed the grin that wanted to appear on her face and continued to go through her plans while walking on auto-pilot. She was certain that she had considered all angles, but seeing as even the best laid plans could fail - and most often did in a spectacular fashion - it wasn't hard to do. First, she had to succeed. Time for celebrating her success would come later.

Consulting her watch Usa found that it was already break time and, hastening her step, the disguised young woman quickly crossed the campus and made her way straight towards where she expected her best friend to be, hoping that Hotaru's habits hadn't changed too much from when she had last seen her.

A small smile appeared on her face when she found that her assumption proved true, for ten metres ahead to her right, sitting under a cherry tree, was indeed one Hotaru Tomoe, leant against the tree's thick trunk, all alone with no one near by. The dark-haired girl had her eyes closed and was positively radiating an aura that screamed 'stay the hell away from me', and the sad look her face was sporting made Usa frown. **'She's probably so depressed 'cause of my 'death','** the Princess thought sadly, **'At least I'll be the one to restore a smile to her face.'**

Suppressing the sneaky smile that wanted to appear on her face Usa stepped to in front of Hotaru, and the shadow cast by her as well as the physical proximity alerted the Senshi of Saturn to her presence, prompting her to open her eyes.

"Are you Hotaru Tomoe?" Usa queried in her disguised voice, keeping her face strict with a lot of effort.

"Yes, I am. And you are?" Hotaru asked back with a neutral and almost disinterested expression.

"Mihoshi Yamanaka, school authority," the disguised girl replied, and winced internally; her 'death' had obviously forced the other girl to grow up as was evidenced by her cool reaction. "I'm here to discuss the possibility of a stipend with you. Would you care to accompany me?"

Hotaru mulled this over for a few moments and gave a disinterested shrug. "Alright. I don't know what anyone would want to grant me a stipend for, but why not."

Usa inclined her head and gave no outward reaction, but inwardly she suppressed another wince at Hotaru's attitude, and quickly led the way towards the school building, the disguised girl conducting a quick mental tour of the building's interior – which she had memorised beforehand – and all the unused classrooms. She flashed her magically constructed badge at the strict looking recess monitor and gave a quick explanation, granting Hotaru and her immediate access to the building.

The second Princess of the Moon continued to lead the way through the building, until she suddenly stopped in front of the restrooms, her abrupt cessation of movement almost causing Hotaru to bump into her.

"Excuse me for a moment, Miss Tomoe, I'll have to pay the restroom a visit. Too much tea, I'm afraid," she said with an apologetic look and a smile.

Hotaru shrugged, then a small, barely noticeable smile briefly touched her face, "No problem, Miss. To be honest, I have to go as well."

Usa nodded and mentally cheered seeing as that couldn't have gone better. "Fine by me," she replied with an inclination of her head and entered the ladies' restroom, which she found to be empty.

Stopping in front of the mirrors instead of entering the stalls Usa waited for Hotaru to pass her by and raked her fingers through her long hair, straightening out imaginary imperfections as a cover to magically lock up the doors, her minute use of magic being covered up by her magic suppressor.

Then Usa turned around and cleared her throat, the noise prompting Hotaru to stop walking. The young woman turned around to face the older woman, a guarded look on her face, and Usa had to suppress yet another wince.

"I have it on good authority that you lost a good friend, Miss Tomoe," she began, and had to force herself to barge ahead when she felt and saw all of Hotaru's shields go up, the raven-haired girl crossing her arms under her chest.

"I did," Hotaru replied, her facial expression completely closed down, her body language screaming defiance, "But with all damned respect, that's none of your business."

"Wellll," Usa said, and dropped her disguise with a shit-eating grin on her face, "I wouldn't say that."

Watching Hotaru's expression was almost comical, her mouth slightly agape and her eyes bulging, her arms falling to her sides in what seemed to be slow motion. Stark disbelief and distrust battled with blossoming hope, and the Senshi of Saturn took a few steps back. "T-That can't be- Y-You're dead," she whispered, her tone of voice conveying she didn't dare hope lest she be hurt again.

"Rumours of my demise were greatly exaggerated, girlfriend. Now take a good long look and you'll see that it's really me," Usa urged calmly.

That a guarded Hotaru did, and after staring the other girl hard in the eyes for what seemed like forever she gasped. "I-I don't believe it!"

Usa chuckled. "You'd better! On the other hand, want me to list all the recent crushes you've had? Hmm, let me think," she mused and pretended to think hard, "there was this idol star whose name I forgot, and the last one, wasn't it a martial artist? Ranma soandso?"

A rosy blush had appeared on Hotaru's face, and after the young woman had overcome her embarrassment she came to the conclusion that only her closest friend could have known this fact as she had hidden it from - almost - everyone lest she be teased. The Senshi of Saturn took tentative steps towards the pinkette until she stood in front of her, and reached out equally tentatively, her right hand trembling slightly as it touched Usa's left cheek as if afraid the girl in front of her would disappear in a puff of smoke.

"Usa?" Hotaru finally questioned in a wondrous tone after finding that the other girl was indeed quite real, the disbelief on her face slowly fading and giving way to elation.

"Last I checked, yeah," said girl replied with a teasing grin.

"Usa!" Hotaru squealed and jumped at her friend, enveloping her in an enthusiastic hug.

Sailor Moon's daughter smiled fondly as her arms encircled the raven-haired girl's mid-section, and drew back slightly, her eyes twinkling. "I'm happy to see you too, Ru-chan."

"But how?" Hotaru asked, tears streaming down her face, "I thought you were dead, truly gone! Why, Usa? Why'd you do it? Do you know how much it hurt to lose you, my best friend?" she asked, drawing back as well to look her best friend in the eyes.

Usa drew back as well and slowly eased out of the hug, a deep sigh escaping her lips as she bowed her head for a few seconds before looking Hotaru in the eyes. "I know it sounds corny, Ru-chan, but there're things bigger than us. The simple truth is, I did it for the continued existence of the human race, my sensei and ourselves. I had no choice," she said solemnly, honesty shining in her eyes.

"Future of the human race? Sensei?" asked a confused Hotaru.

"Future sensei," Usa amended cheerfully, deliberately not elaborating on the much more serious other topic just yet, "Which is exactly why no one, especially not the others must know that I'm alive, Ru-chan. Especially. Not. Puu," she stressed in a tone so serious Hotaru's eyes shot open in surprise.

"All of this charade just to hide from Setsuna-mama and the others? To save the future?" Hotaru demanded after she had recovered, her eyes showing a myriad of conflicting emotions, "Do you know how much it hurt to see you seemingly _die_? Me, your mom, everyone? We thought you were dead, gone for good!"

"I know," Usa replied in utter seriousness, her tone of voice conveying that she _knew_, "And yet I had to do it despite the consequences, Ru-chan. I had to do it for the future of this world, and when faced with making the same decision again I'd do so in a heartbeat. Every single time. To help those that can prevent what is coming."

Hotaru was taken aback by the seriousness her friend was showing, and the look in the pinkette's eyes spoke volumes. Whatever it was she wished to prevent must be Bad indeed. "Can't Setsuna-mama-"

Usa shook her head in utter conviction, her left hand she had raised stopping her friend in her tracks. "Especially not her, Ru-chan. If she knew I was alive it would endanger everything, and this world would be doomed.

"Please, Ru-chan," Usa's demeanour changed and became pleading, "Swear on your magic you won't tell anyone."

If anything it was that pleading look that convinced Hotaru to do as asked. She knew Usa quite well, probably better than anyone out of their group, and she had never seen the other girl so serious or determined. Yet one question still remained. "Who is so important that you'd risk everything, Usa? Are they worth it? Worth leaving your mom thinking you'd died, never to exist?" she implored, her eyes not leaving Usa's face.

"Yes, Ru-chan, they are," Usa replied immediately in utter conviction, her jaw firmed, "I'd give my life for them in a heartbeat, and you can trust me when I say they have only the best of intentions for this planet. In fact, they're relatives of mine, ones that even mom doesn't know exist," she finished with a secretive smirk.

"Relatives? From the future?" Hotaru queried with a raised brow, "But aren't they forbidden from interfering overtly with the time stream because they could cause fatal paradoxes?"

"You'd be right, Ru-chan, if they _were_ from the future. Just so much, they are protect at all costs assets, Ru-chan. Without them there is no future, can be no future, regardless of what Puu says or thinks.

"But why don't you ask them, or rather her, yourself, tomorrow? We'll be busy until then, but I hope to meet you at these coordinates," she leant forward and whispered the said coordinates in the other girl's ear before pulling back and producing a small silver gadget in the shape of a bangle she held out for her friend to see, "Put this li'l thing around your wrist and it'll sync with your magic. Once done it'll only work for you (in theory at least), and when activated it'll mask your teleport signature. Just press this button," Usa indicated a small, rectangular shaped button held in green, "and this one to deactivate it," she concluded after pointing at the red button.

"Wicked. And it looks so… inconspicuous!" Hotaru breathed and almost drooled at the thought of getting her very own teleport signature eraser (or whatever Usa called the thing), a gleam appearing in her eyes, "Can this thing do more than just mask teleports?"

"Oh yes," Usa replied with a knowing grin, "If you switch to Mode 2," she indicated a black button at the device's right side, "it'll completely hide your magical signature. That's one of the reasons why none of the other Scouts were able to find me after I'd 'died'," she grinned and held up her left wrist, showing her own bangle.

Hotaru frowned, "But how'd you pull it off? I mean, even Setsuna-mama bought it!"

An immodest grin appeared on Usa's face, "Aww, no big deal. I just used a combination of magic, martial arts techniques and technology from the future, is all. Oh, and I still need that oath, you know? Especially if you want to learn more," she said casually, though the look in her eyes belied her aloofness.

"The heck with it, I'll do it," Hotaru agreed after a few seconds of silent contemplation, "I swear on my magic that I'll not reveal that you, Usagi II., are alive, and neither will I divulge any information you or your relative will tell me to anyone. Now, do I get that cool thingy?" she demanded, her eyes not leaving the magic suppressor resting in Usa's palm.

"Oh. Sure," Usa replied with a knowing look and almost broke out laughing when a slightly drooling Hotaru took the gadget she had casually held out to her, "Now I understand what mom meant when she asked if I needed a napkin when I got mine," the girl from the future muttered to herself, shaking her head in amusement.

"What was that, Usa-chan?" asked Hotaru distractedly.

"Nothing, just reminiscing, Ru-chan," replied an amused Usa, watching in mirth how Hotaru pressed the magic suppressor to her chest, going so far as to mutter, "My precious."

The pink-haired teen's chuckling seemed to bring Hotaru out of her episode, but the raven-haired girl refused to blush and met the pinkette's gaze with a look that said, 'What?'.

Usa hid her giggles and tried to look innocent. "Oh, nothing, just that you reacted the same way I did when I got my own. Which is perfectly understandable," the pink-haired Princess assured her friend, hands held up in a placating gesture.

Hotaru sniffed and turned up her nose, and the raven-haired girl managed to keep her posture for several moments before succumbing to silent giggling. "I must have looked really stupid, ne?"

The pinkette smiled, mirth shining in her eyes, "Oh, just a bit," she said amusedly.

The Senshi of Saturn shook her head in mirth as well, "Oh well, it was for a good reason at least," she mused and let her right index finger wander over the bangle before turning serious eyes on her friend, "So you used this magic suppressor to hide from Puu. But what about her? Is she still alive in the future?"

Usa's happy-go-lucky expression faded and gave way to a neutral expression that gave nothing away, "I can't and won't answer that, Ru-chan. The present is still in a state of flux, and anything I'd reveal about my future might be its undoing. I hope you understand."

Hotaru nodded unhappily and expelled a breath she didn't know she had been holding, "I do. And that means there's at least still a chance Setsuna-mama is still alive.

"Okay, Usa-chan," she then said, a look of steely resolve in her eyes, "I'll do it. I'll be there. When?"

Usa glanced at her wristwatch, "Tomorrow afternoon at around 4 p.m., and don't detransform. Tell Haruka and Michiru you want to go for a walk as ways of exercising and that you don't know when you'll be back."

"Will do," Hotaru nodded and engulfed her friend in a hug, "It's good to have you back, and regardless where this will lead us, I'll be with you all the way, Usa-chan."

"Thanks, Ru-chan, that means a lot," Usa nodded and reciprocated the hug, holding it for a few moments before looking at her wristwatch, "Gotta go now," she then said and winked at her friend; the daughter of Sailor Moon cancelled the magic keeping the door shut and teleported away, leaving a softly smiling Hotaru Tomoe behind.

-.-

_8th September 2006, 2:48 p.m., south-eastern Pacific Ocean, Isla de Pascua_

Two unassuming looking girls, one raven-haired and one brown-haired suddenly appeared out of nowhere on a cliff in 27° 9' 0″ S, 109° 25' 30″ W, several dozen kilometres away from their destination's capital. Ranma Saotome, the said raven-haired girl, immediately threw up her Umi upon reappearance, but noticed quickly that she needn't have and cancelled it with nary a thought.

Her companion and she were standing on a cliff that overlooked the ocean, and twenty metres beneath them the surge crashed against the massive rock. It was a clear, sunny day and one could see for miles and miles. The air was salty, and both girls coughed a few times to get their lungs accustomed to the different climate. Ranma and her companion, one time-travelling teen by the name of Usagi II., heiress to the Silver Millennium, looked around, but no human being could be seen for miles upon miles. They were virtually alone.

"That ain't Lemuria," Ranma concluded dryly after overlooking the ocean.

"No kidding there, Sherlock," Usa shot back amusedly, and turned around, "But we're close," she said with a secret smile and pointed at something about ten metres ahead to their left.

Ranma, who'd followed her friend's example and had turned around as well just stared at the sight presented to her, her mouth agape, "What in Kami-sama's name is that?"

Weighing her options Usa decided to take pity on her friend instead of acting all mysteriously like a certain someone she knew, "These monumental statues are called moai in the native language of the locals and were created by Rapanui people, the said locals, several centuries ago. Its typical defining feature is the large head that's usually three fifths the size of its body, and these monuments are the 'living faces' and chiefly representations of the Rapanui's deified ancestors. There's a lot of them at Rano Raraku, the main moai quarry, but there're also a lot of them set up on platforms at the island's perimeters, as guardians. So, where are we, Ranma-san?"

"Easter Island," Ranma replied without hesitation, and shook her head in bemusement, "Funny how all the studying my 'dear relatives' made me do can be useful for something."

Usagi II. chuckled and tucked an errand strand of her long, pink hair behind her left ear, "I'd never have thought there'd be the day I'd admit it myself, but studying can be really useful. Never tell my mom I said that, though."

"Why would I? Don't exactly gonna have an opportunity to, now, ne? The way it stands we're enemies in this," Ranma said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

The pinkette shrugged non-comittically, "Just making sure. As for why we landed here, I have a few theories. The one that makes the most sense is that Lemuria is probably protected by magical shielding that's still active. Otherwise our teleport wouldn't have been redirected.

"We can count ourselves lucky that we appeared here, it could've dumped us into the ocean just as easily. Just good I set my teleportation spell thusly that it'd drop us far away from any locals in case we _were _redirected."

Ranma nodded in understanding. "Lucky us, then. I'm not that eager to go for a swim," she muttered and furrowed her brow in thought, "But you know, I noticed you're much more intelligent than your mom. I mean, knowin' all that technobabble 'n' stuff."

"Nah, mom isn't stupid. It's just that she doesn't use her brain very often, but when she does she's a force to be reckoned with. Otherwise you're right, she can be a right ditz," Chibi-Moon smiled.

"Understatement, that," Ranma scoffed and rolled her eyes, "But enough 'bout meatball head. We need to get a boat or something to get to the co-ordinates. Swimmin' ain't that good of an idea in my condition..."

Chibi-Moon looked at her companion incredulously. "How did you know that the co-ordinates are in the open sea?"

"Just par for my life," Ranma grumbled, her hands planted on her hips in annoyance.

"I suppose it is," agreed Usa with a lopsided grin, "Apropos condition, don't you wanna rest for a bit? The events of the last few days have to have taken a lot out of you."

Ranma considered Usa's words for a moment and shook her head. "Ever since I became a magical girl warrior I feel... energised. More energised than ever. A lot of that is probably Senny trying to help me out-"

"As if," Usa snorted silently under her breath.

"- but I feel real fit. Why, I could use a kata or two to losen my muscles, yeah," the boy-turned-girl concluded, a look of determination on her face as she punched her palm with her left fist.

"Go ahead, Ranma-san. We have more than enough time before we need to get a move on," Usa exclaimed lazily, and let herself sink to the grassy soil Indian style.

Ranma just grinned in reply and blurred into motion. Magical girl warrior and future mother of a magical girl queen or not, martial arts was her life. And always would be.

-.-

A satisfied Ranma Saotome breathed in and out deeply and closed her eyes to enjoy the warming rays of the sun, an involuntary sigh escaping her lips. The kata had done her a world of good as it had helped to loosen her muscles and work out kinks just as she had hoped, but it had also given her the necessary sharpness of mind to focus on her goals.

"Now that was good," she said as she opened her eyes, "But I'm not seeing a boat or something else around here for miles. Doncha have something fancy from the future?"

Chibi-Moon sighed and slowly pushed herself to her feet. "I really don't know if I should..."

Ranma tapped her foot impatiently, her right brow cocked in disbelief. "Hey, future of the world resting on my shoulders here mean anything to ya? There ain't a boat here, and who says that your friends ain't already trailing us by now?"

"If you put it this way... oh, what the heck," Chibi-Moon muttered and produced a capsule out of nowhere.

"What's this? And how's that thingy gonna help us, small as it is?" Ranma asked incredulous.

"Wait and see, Ranma-san," the disguised Senshi replied with a grin and threw the capsule to the ground. It exploded in a puff of smoke, that, when it cleared, revealed a futuristic looking aircraft held in silver colour.

"What the hell!" Ranma exclaimed and presented warding signs, her eyes wide with surprise.

Chibi-Moon looked smug and waved her right hand at the aircraft. "That's my plane. I keep it in stuff-space for situations like this," she grinned.

"Oh, you teleport pregnant boy-turned-girls to hell knows where and take 'em on a flight often then?" quipped Ranma sarcastically, a scarlet brow raised mockingly.

"Not really. Don't think I could make a living off of it," Usa retorted with a grin, "Truth be told, I use this baby as an atmosphere flyer whenever I've got the chance. Drives mom barmy," she grinned.

Ranma raised a brow, but refrained from commenting. Sailor Moon was barmy enough in her opinion. "Can that thing be used for normal flight too?"

"Thing?" bristled Chibi-Moon indignantly, hands planted on her hips. "That's the _Tauris_, my _baby_, and not a thing! It's an ultra-modern state-of-the-art aircraft and no _thing_!"

"Whatever," Ranma waved her objections away. "Can it be used for normal flight?" she asked again.

"Yes," Chibi-Moon groused, levelling a smouldering glare at the other girl.

"Good," Ranma mused, ignoring the glare completely; she had encountered real masters of the glare, and Chibi's glare was nothing to her. "Let's board this thing and get going."

Chibi-Moon mock-saluted. "Yes, ma'am!"

Grinning smugly the disguised girl walked over to her plane, relishing in the impotent sputtering of the raven-haired girl. **'Good that I know how to rile her up...'** she thought with a grin.

-.-

A minute later they were in the air, Chibi-Moon piloting the aircraft with expert ease born from countless hours of practise. The cloaking device was active and worked within normal parameters, and due to the fact that it used advanced technology from the future not even Pluto would be able to locate them. Ranma had also activated her modified Umi in addition to that so as to mask any more magical outbursts that might originate from her as an additional safety precaution.

The girls spent the flight in companionable silence, each hanging to her own thoughts. Chibi-Moon on her part mused how long it'd take her mother and the others to find out that she hadn't really ceased to exist, and part of her felt sad for deceiving them, but if she wanted to ensure that her future came about she had to stand by Ranma's side. Letting her mom and the other Scouts in on everything wasn't an option either for fear of causing a fatal temporal paradox.

Chibi-Moon sighed inwardly. It needed to be done, and maybe, after the child had been born, it'd be possible to inform her mother and friends of what was really going on. Yeah, the life of a Senshi was fraught with peril, but once they had reached Lemuria they'd be safe, and all necessary preparations could be made.

Ranma on her part was experiencing a very emotional phase. Her mood alternated between anger at Sailor Pluto and sorrow because she'd had to leave her friends so soon after being reunited with them. She dearly hoped that her friends, friends she considered family would keep a low profile.

But Pluto... It had to have been her who had supplied the gullible fathers with the poison that would have killed her daughter had she even sampled the soup. There just was no other explanation that fit the facts. Now that her covert attack on Senny's life had failed, though...

"Fuck, she must've known for a long time that I'm pregnant!" she muttered angrily. "And now that her little ploy failed she ain't have another choice but to step it up!"

"What do you mean, Ranma-san?"

"First off, drop the san. You helped me, so I'm Ranma to you. 'kay?"

Chibi-Moon smiled warmly. "S-Sure, Ranma-sa... Ranma, but only if you call me Usa," she said and dropped her transformation.

Ranma was risen out of her funk long enough to smile, but her mood changed quickly and the scowl returned. "Stupid Pluto bitch..." she muttered.

"So what did you mean? _Who_ knew you're pregnant?"

Ranma growled darkly. "Pluto. Who else? Dunno how she found out so quickly that I was the danger to her Utopia, but she did. And now that her plan failed..."

"Ranma, please calm down..."

"If she tries something again, if she so much as looks at me wrong I'm gonna tear her limb from limb!" Ranma growled, her agitated magic making the air heavy.

"Ranma! Your magic is getting out of control!" Chibi-Moon snapped.

The raven-haired girl looked down at herself in startled surprise and noticed that a swirling silver aura was coursing around her, and it was singing the seat. "Fuck!" she exclaimed and closed her eyes.

Moments later the aura of power was sucked back into Ranma with an audible pop, and the heavy feeling of magic that had permeated the air disappeared. Ranma sunk deep into her seat, breathing heavy, sweat dripping off her face. "Fuck. It's been a damn long time since I lost control like that..."

"When was the last time, if you don't mind the question," Chibi-Moon asked carefully.

"Saffron," the raven-haired girl said with a dark look on her face. "He was..."

"I know who he was or is. Girl from the future, remember?" Chibi-Moon smiled, jabbing a thumb at herself.

"Oh. Yeah. Anyway, when Akane was dying I felt so helpless, so powerless, and Saffron was taunting me. I got so fuckin' angry, and suddenly I felt that well of power in me, and that boost gave me the chance to finish the crazy overgrown bird. Was that...?"

Chibi-Moon nodded. "It could very well be. Your magic sensed the life-threatening situation you were in and awakened from its dormant status long enough to aid you. Why it didn't stay active I can't say. Maybe the battle took a lot out of you and you had to recharge. Or something else entirely. No idea."

"Your guess is as good as any. Can't believe I lost control again. But this Pluto... Where does she get off to decide who lives and dies? Who died and made her God?! And my so called family... Betrayin' me like that… family, bah! I'll make my own family, and a wayyy better one at that," Ranma growled out.

"Don't cast your family away so quickly, Ranma. Yes, your mother sounds pretty idiotic," she admitted at Ranma's glare, "Okay, she takes the fruitcake without a doubt, but she's still your mom. She may just have meant it when she tried to build a new relationship with you."

"But…" Ranma interrupted.

"No, let me finish, Ranma. I know what she and your grandparents did went way beyond the pale, but they had their reasons. Reasons you know. In time you may come to forgive them, for that's how us members of the Serenity line tick," said Chibi-Moon, her mouth quirking into a lopsided grin.

Ranma wanted to rage, rant and rave against what the daughter of Sailor Moon had just said, but she couldn't deny the possibility that it might just be true. "Doesn't matter," she said finally. "Don't trust any of them, and don't wanna see 'em in a good long time. I'll build my own family, startin' with my daughter. I'll raise my baby-girl with the love she deserves, and I sure as hell am not gonna demand nonsense of her like my parents did of me," she said, wiping a few tears away. "I promise you, mommy's not gonna fail you."

The tension visibly left Ranma as she continued to stroke her belly, and her mood improved quickly. With her mind somewhat cleared she involved Chibi-Moon in a talk about magic and what the different attacks of the Senshi could do.

The daughter of Sailor Moon was - seemingly - baffled when she learned that there was more to the Serenity line's magic than just the preset attacks and defences their Sailor transformations granted them, and Ranma promised that they'd practise the spells together, but warned Chibi-Moon that she only knew the magical theory and the incantations of the spells, seeing that she hadn't been able to do much of anything with her magic inactive.

Chibi-Moon waved that away and remarked that she'd do great, being of the Serenity line and all. Ranma retorted that ancestry was no guarantee for prowess, the Kunos being the most glaring example that came to mind. The disguised Senshi had to concede the point after she had listened to Ranma's description of the crazy brother and sister, and was about to comment when suddenly the computer beeped, indicating that they had reached the co-ordinates where Lemuria was hidden.

"What now, Ranma?" Chibi-Moon asked, turning to face the other girl.

"Dunno. Uh, scan for it or something?"

"Already did that. Nothing."

"Then we gotta hope that my inner voice helps…" the raven-haired girl muttered.

Chibi-Moon was about to reply when she saw that Ranma had already spaced out, and the blonde teen shook her head in amusement. Leaning back into her chair Usa folded her hands behind her head and relaxed, well knowing that the only thing she could do was to hold the _Tauris_ steady and watch the instruments.

-.-

The daughter of Sailor Moon didn't have to wait long; Ranma came out of her trance after about a minute, a look of concentration on her face. "Hope I'm gettin' this right... Can you open the door scuttle? I need to cast a spell."

"Umm, sure," Chibi-Moon replied and pushed a button that opened the door. "Don't fall out."

"Very funny. I'm a martial artist with years 'n' years of experience. I ain't gonna fall outta some stupid plane," Ranma said confidently.

Chibi-Moon smirked and made the aircraft roll from side to side, making it hard for the Saotome girl to keep her balance. "If you say so."

Grumbling cutely Ranma positioned herself in the doorway. "Again, very funny. But you hafta do better 'n that."

"Me? I didn't do anything. It was the computer. She didn't like that you called her a 'stupid plane'. I tried to get her under control, really," Chibi-Moon said innocently.

Ranma gave her a half-lidded stare. "Suuuure. Tell me another one. Now to the important stuff," she muttered, and a look of intense concentration settled on her face; the words seemed to come to her by themselves all of a sudden, and the magical warrior chanted, "Awaken from your long slumber, raise from the depths that have hidden you from the world for so long, come forth, I command thee, Lemuria!"

Chibi-Moon had watched in fascination how a silver aura of power had gradually built up around Ranma, and suddenly a silver beam of intense energy originated from the raven-haired girl's body, hitting the ocean's surface below, disappearing into the depths of the sea. Ranma held fire for ten seconds, then she stumbled back, exhausted. Moon's daughter was at the Saotome girl's side in a flash and helped her regain her balance, and Ranma smiled thankfully at Chibi-Moon as the other girl helped her to the co-pilot's seat.

"Damn, that took a heckuva lot outta me," Ranma complained and plopped down into the seat, her face clearly showing the strain the expenditure of so much magic had placed on her.

"I could tell, Ranma. But this better work fast, whatever it was you did. Your magical output could be traced rather easily, and the others won't need more than about twenty minutes to arrive. The only thing working in our favour is the fact that it's afternoon, and they'll have one heck of a time to drag mom outta the arcade," Chibi-Moon grinned.

Ranma returned the grin a bit tiredly. "Good for us. But we had to take the risk that your friends would notice anyway. There just were no alternatives," she replied.

The words had just left her mouth when all of a sudden a rumbling noise could be heard from the ocean's surface down below. Both girls virtually pressed their faces against the glass to get a better look, and they boggled at what they saw. A domed complex of considerable size was slowly but surely rising from the oceanic depths.

The structure as a whole was about eight kilometres in diameter from what Ranma and Usa could make out, and looked very futuristic even though it was several millennia old. One main dome, which was round about two kilometres in diameter at Ranma's estimation, had already risen from the depths, and it along with several smaller domes had emerged halfway not a minute later. Lemuria was indeed rising fast.

Chibi-Moon shook herself out of her stupor and quickly conducted scans. "Take a look at this, Ranma!" she pointed at the monitor, indicating one of the smaller domes. "This looks like a docking bay that should allow us entry, and we should really get a move on to get inside."

Ranma nodded, her face grim. "Yeah, we gotta hide that thing 'n fast. Or not just your friends will come knockin' but the military forces of every damn nation!"

Chibi-Moon nodded determinedly and had already set the aircraft in motion, and not a minute later they had reached the door bay Usa had indicated. The daughter of Moon consulted her computer. "We're being scanned for magical signatures. Phew, good that your magic awakened or we might've been reduced to debris already, considering the weaponry I'm picking up here. As I see it only members of the Serenity line are allowed entry, plus approved people. Pretty harsh safety measures, but we're now cleared to enter."

"Good. Get us inside," Ranma ordered.

"Yes, ma'am!" Chibi saluted, evoking grumbles and muttered threats from the other girl.

Chuckling Chibi steered the aircraft inside, apparently as curious and cautious as Ranma.

-.-

_The Gates of Time, location unknown_

Sailor Pluto was standing in front of the Gates of Time with a look of utmost concentration on her face as she scryed the timeline, her facial expression growing more and more dissatisfied with every passing moment. The chances for the coming about of Crystal Tokyo were as slim as they had been since Ranko Tendo had become an interfering factor, and the Guarding of Time cursed violently in the many languages she knew.

"There should have long since been a shift in the time-space-continuum, and the lack thereof can only mean one thing: the worthless fools failed," she muttered to herself, her face the epitome of annoyance. A long suffering sigh escaped Pluto's lips, and she wished not for the first time to have a bottle of good, old Aldebaran Whiskey handy. "It's time I stopped being discrete in my dealings with Ranko Tendo, it seems. He poses a greater threat than anticipated-"

Setsuna Meiou's eyes suddenly shot open when a huge wave of pure magical energy washed over her, and the definite feeling of Silver Millennium energy, more specifically that of the Serenity line, left her senses tingling. "Now what the hell was that?"

Shaking her head and the feeling off, Sailor Pluto focussed her attention back on the Time gates, a wry grin appearing on her face as the possibility occurred to her that the energy burst she had just felt might have originated from the baby the Tendo girl was carrying. "Gate, lock on the source of Silver Millennium energy and determine its location."

"_Affirmative,"_ came the androgynous reply, and seconds later the AI governing the Gates of Time spoke anew, _"Task carried out. Source of energy output originating from 27° 9' 0″ S, 109° 25' 30″ W, signature is rapidly fading. Standing by for further commands."_

"Not necessary," spoke a distracted Pluto and created a portal which she immediately stepped through. Appearing back in real time in an empty storage room of the Arcade her Princess and her friends were wont to hang out at – today being no exception – a satisfied glint appeared in Setsuna Meiou's eyes as she dropped her transformation. It was time to act.

-.-

_27° 9' 0″ S, 109° 25' 30″ W, Pacific Ocean, Silver Millennium Earth-side base Lemuria, 3:22 p.m._

Ranma and Usa watched in fascination as they glided along in a long, illuminated tunnel, created by a technology Earth hadn't seen in millennia. Ranma expelled a breath she didn't know she had been holding, and saw Chibi-Moon do the same. Ranma played nervously with her long hair, and stopped when she noticed that she was fidgeting. "Usa, can you return us to normal? You know, ain't that we be needin' disguises around here, right?"

The daughter of Sailor Moon stopped chewing on her bottom lip and nodded. Seconds later she held her transformational pen in hands and dispelled the disguise in a matter of moments, returning Ranma to her silvery-red-haired and blue-eyed form. Few moments later Chibi-Usa was also herself again. "As useful as this is, I hate it every single time. Being something I'm not, I mean."

"Know watcha mean. Know all 'bout it. I used to think that this girl body wasn't me, that it was just some disguise, you know, like lookin' into a funhouse mirror. Now I know that it's really real, and I take pride in this body. Not least 'cause I'm gonna have a wonderful daughter born of this body," she smiled, stroking her belly.

Sailor Moon's daughter nodded. "Good that you accept yourself as you are, Ranma," she looked at her instruments. "Oh, good... we're reaching a docking point of some kind in 3... 2... 1. Docking commenced."

"Let's get outta here, then. And doncha dare say 'Yes, ma'am.' I don't wanna hear it even once," Ranma glared.

Chibi-Usa grinned impishly. "Sure thing, _Miss_ Saotome," she exclaimed and made a run for it.

"WHAT!" yelled Ranma indignantly, "Come back here so I can kick your ass! Come back and take your punishment, you hear me!"

The other girl stood in the doorframe and grinned, blowing a raspberry. "Nyah, nyah, come and catch me, slowpoke!" she grinned and sped out of the door.

Ranma was about to give chase when a thought occurred to her. "Hmm, she shot out like liquid lightnin'... She wasn't cautious as one woulda been had they never seen the place. Something ain't adding up here..." she muttered and stepped out of the door herself.

Seeing no sign of the other girl Ranma took cautious steps into the unknown terrain and looked around. What she found left her gaping, for it seemed like she had left the 'normal' reality behind and had stepped straight into a sci-fi movie. Designs similar to those she had seen in Gaijin sci-fi shows greeted her, and she had to make a supreme effort to gather her bearings. She knew she had to find a computer of sorts, preferably some control computer or mainframe. That reminded her...

"Why shan't it work here... Computer?" she asked tentatively.

_"Computer online,"_ replied a modulated female voice from seemingly everywhere around her. _"Activation time... scanning local time for comparison... 3:27 p.m., 8th September, 2006."_

Ranma checked her wrist-watch. "Odd," she noted. "That was 'bout a minute before I tried talkin' to the 'puter... weird."

_"Scanning magical signature. Cross-referencing with database,"_ the computer said. _"Verified. Welcome, Serenity, heir to Tenma of Line Serenity."_

"Err, computer, I ain't Serenity. I'm Ranma Saotome."

_"Upgrading lingual database to verify unknown lingual code. Upgrading main database. Done. All access to command functions and other functions restricted to Ranma Saotome Serenity by default."_

"Hey! Watcha mean, unknown lingual code? First my mom 'n' grandparents, now a 'puter. There ain't anything wrong with my language, it's just that I'm acting like an idiot in an unknown environment so people underestimate me. Got it?"

_"Command not understood. Please specify command."_

"Stupid 'puter. Computer, can you activate that cloakin' thingie?"

_"This function has to be activated in the main command centre, Ranma Saotome Serenity."_

"Computer, I ain't... ahh, forget it. Is probably 'cause of Senny anyway. Computer, can you show me the way to the main command centre?"

_"Affirmative. Would you prefer acoustic or holographic guidance?"_

"Uhh, what? Holograwhatzit?" Ranma asked dumbly.

_"Activating holographic guidance. Please follow the holographic line, Ranma Saotome Serenity."_

"Err, thanks. I'll do that, yeah," a weirded out Ranma replied and set herself in motion, following the translucent red line that had appeared in mid-air.

-.-

_27° 9' 0″ S, 109° 25' 30″ W, south-eastern Pacific Ocean, Isla de Pascua, 3:32 p.m._

A group of six young women clad in differently coloured fuku suddenly appeared out of nowhere, incidentally on the same-self cliff two other young women had been standing on not twenty minutes ago. The tallest of them, a green-haired woman with red eyes instantly narrowed said scarlet orbs and trained her senses on the ocean, a sense of dread running down her spine.

One of the girls accompanying her, a cobalt-haired girl in a blue-themed fuku, whipped out a futuristic looking computer and initiated a scan. Sailor Mercury's eyes widened and almost popped out of their sockets, and the girl met the questioning gazes of her companions with a look of supreme surprise on her face. "That's the largest concentration of Silver Millennium energy ahead I've ever recorded. And I mean ever. I'm zooming in…" she muttered and gazed back on the computer screen, only to squeak in surprise at what she saw next, "My gosh. It- It- It's huge! By kami, a base, it's a freakin' base!"

Sailor Pluto stepped to Mercury's side and was tempted to grab the computer to see what the younger woman was referring to, but her Princess stepping to Ami's other side and peering intently at the screen nipped such thoughts in the bud. The Senshi of Time heard herself gasping when she gazed upon the Mercury computer's screen, the same sound escaping the Moon Princess. "Kami-sama above, what is that?" Sailor Moon asked, her gaze glued to the screen.

"A fortress," Ami muttered as she interpreted the readings she was getting, "Eight point four kilometres in diameter, several levels, and- Shit!"

"What?" everyone bar Pluto seemed to chorus.

"Its shields just went up," Sailor Pluto replied in Ami's stead, an empty look being apparent in the Pluto Princess' eyes as she gazed out onto the ocean, "I could feel it."

"Me too," Sailor Moon agreed with a nod, "And it felt- well, stronger than anything I've ever felt before."

"And no surprise it did. This is a base built from Silver Millennium technology, pre-fall technology of the highest calibre. Incredible I had no idea it existed," Pluto supplied emotionlessly, her eyes still gazing into seemingly nothing before snapping onto the Moon Princess, "We must assume that our enemy managed to enter this base by means unknown. Our primary objective should now be the gathering of data on how to enter the base ourselves in order to eliminate the threat."

"As to that, this shielding is absolutely impenetrable for us. Even if all of us were to attack the shields in one focal point in our Super forms – and yes, there are four layers of them, so plural – we wouldn't even be able to breach the first layer. Whoever built this- this fortress knew what they were doing. That thing could withstand orbital bombardment of the worst kind for millennia without a scratch. And don't get me started on its offensive capabilities- it's a nightmare," Ami uttered and massaged her temples.

Sailor Venus poked her hands together in an uncharacteristically nervous gesture, "So it's bad?"

"Oh yeah," Mercury deadpanned, "Bad and then some. I'll have to check the archives to see if they have something, anything on how to disable this kind of tech, but I can so see lots of all-nighters looming on the horizon for me," she sighed.

The other Scouts made sympathetic comments, yet Pluto remained as impassive as ever and limited her reaction to an inclination of her head which signified her agreement.

**'Or maybe not, Ami, depending on Hotaru. Everything's resting on her now,'** the Senshi of Time thought, and carefully kept her face impassive.

"Oh my Kami-sama, what is going on now? The Mercury computer is detecting a huge concentration of Tetryon particles, and- and now- the base is gone! My scans are picking up nothing! Not even the faintest trace! How's this possible?" Ami exclaimed, her face conveying just how gobsmacked she was.

Pluto grimaced, and Sailor Moon who was still standing to Ami's right saw it. "Pluto?"

"It's a level ten cloaking device, experimental and highly confidential, your Highness. According to my memories it was still in its infancies, but someone obviously managed a breakthrough. Much to our detriment," the Princess of Pluto groused. "It will make our endeavour that much harder."

Sailor Moon nodded and unsuccessfully tried to hide her disappointment. "We will do as you suggested, Pluto. But as soon as we have enough data collected we'll head homewards."

A chorus of agreement came from the other Scouts, and to see looks of determination replaced the looks of disappointment that had been so prominent on the other four young women's faces, fellow Scouts with whom she had gone through hell and back touched a few strings in Setsuna Meiou. The Senshi of Pluto suppressed a smile and took solace in the thought that everything would straighten itself out soon. Even Level 10 cloaking could be overcome when the shields were down and you knew where to teleport to. And soon she, they, Pluto amended mentally, would know.

-.-

_Lemuria, five minutes prior_

Ranma followed the holographic line for about two minutes until she reached a reinforced scuttle. Wondering what to do the redhead saw a strange device of sorts that resembled a fingerprint scanner she had seen in a movie upon looking around. Shrugging she pressed her palm against it and waited for something to happen.

_"Verifying magical signature... signature approved. Registering magical signature and fingerprints for future access. Access granted,"_ the computer said, and the door slid open, revealing a circular room held in discrete silver colour with many consoles on two different levels and a throne-like chair standing in the middle.

Ranma stepped cautiously into the room, and was suddenly assaulted by a pink flash that grabbed her arm. "What took you so long? I already reactivated everything but the cloaking device! That one we need to activate together, for the activation sequence is initiated from two separate control panels! Get over there, Ranma, and quick!" Chibi-Usa exclaimed and she pointed at a computer-console.

Completely steamrolled as she was Ranma obeyed and walked over to the console. "What now?" she asked.

"It's colour-coded. The sequence is blue me, red you, yellow me, black you, green me, white you, purple me, gold you, blue me and violet you. Got it?"

"Red, black, white, gold and violet. Got it. Speak 'em aloud once you push yours."

"Gotcha! Blue!"

"Red!" "Yellow!" "Black!" "Green!" "White!" "Purple!" "Gold!" "Blue!" "Violet!"

"Now the silver button! On three! 1... 2... 3... Now!" Chibi-Usa exclaimed.

Both young women pushed the buttons at the same time, and a strange light effect swept over them a moment later. Chibi-Usa sighed in relief, her face sporting a grin. "No one will be able to find us now unless we wish to."

"Great," grinned Ranma, and turned serious. "But now I got few questions for ya..."

Chibi-Usa gulped in face of Ranma's expression, but was unexpectedly saved by an acoustic signal.

_"Kernel initiation complete. Shields at full strength, cloaking device working within normal parameters. AI online,"_ the computer's female lilt listed.

Suddenly a translucent figure materialised a metre in front of them, the well-built and regal looking female bearing a strong resemblance to Ranma's daughter and Ranma herself. _"Welcome, Ranma Saotome Serenity, heir of the paternal line to the Serenity Line. I am Muri, Lemuria's artificial intelligence and your proxy to this base. If you have any questions, do please ask, Your Highness,"_ the holographic projection said politely.

"First off, just call me Ranma, Muri, everyone does, or if you must, that or Serenity. It's my true family line after all," the gender-changing martial artist said with a sigh, "And I do have a question. The computer said something to the effect that the command functions were under my authority. What does that mean?"

_"In simple terms, that your command over Lemuria is absolute, Your High- Ranma,"_ the AI replied in a serious tone, _"It cannot be challenged by anyone."_

"G-Good to know," a floored Ranma muttered after realising the enormity of what that meant.

_"Do you have orders, Ranma?"_ the AI inquired politely.

Ranma's brows furrowed in thought as the young magical warrior racked her brain, Usa clearing her throat prompting her to look at the Sailor Scout. "I have a suggestion, Ranma. Have her whip the base back up into shape."

Ranma mulled her ally's suggestion over for a few moments and nodded to herself. "Makes sense. Muri, you heard her."

_"Your command will be carried out, Ranma. Serenity, if I may-"_ the AI trailed off.

"What is it, Muri?"

_"There is something in Lab 03 you should take a look at, Serenity. Something you'd benefit from greatly,"_ Muri replied vaguely.

Ranma narrowed her eyes and regarded Muri for long moments before turning her head to look at Usa. "It's safe, Ranma. Muri would never do anything to harm you," she said in the chestnote of conviction, having read Ranma's look correctly.

"Okay, I'll take your word for it. Muri, please show me the way to the Lab," Ranma said finally, having come to a decision.

_"Right away,"_ Muri replied almost cheerily, and a red holographic line appeared in mid-air, _"Just follow the line, Serenity, and we'll meet up in the lab. By your leave."_ the AI queried.

The silvery-red-haired girl needed a few moments to grasp the meaning of Muri's words. "Of course," she nodded and the AI cancelled the holographic projection.

"Now that was... interesting," Ranma mused to herself, and turned serious eyes on Usa, "And you... You ain't off the hook yet. I've got some questions, and when I'm back I'm gonna want some good answers."

That said Ranma walked out of the door without looking back, leaving a sweating Usa behind.

-.-

Following the holographic lines Ranma easily found the Lab in question and ended up in front of a double door with the same security features as the door she had passed minutes ago. Catching her breath for a moment seeing that Senny decided to literally take her breath away by kicking seemingly as hard as she could the Saotome youth tried to track her path, but quickly had to admit to herself that she'd be hard pressed to find her way back without assistance what with the maze of corridors she had passed.

Shrugging Ranma shook herself out of her musings of what she was going to find behind the doors in front of her, muttered, "There's no time like the present," and stepped forward, the door opening with an obedient swish after she had unlocked it.

The lights came on automatically, basking the room in artificial light, and Ranma's measuring gaze immediately swept over the rectangular shaped room of about seven by nine metres that had been revealed as the silvery-red-haired young woman tried to discern any dangers.

To her relief she found no signs, safe for an odd feeling in the back of her head that had sprung up as soon as she had entered the room. Ranma quickly overcame her surprise that the lab, which was held in a soft silver colour, looked like something out of a sci-fi show with all the tech stuffed into it. Everything seemed to, which made it less of a surprise, really.

Two futuristic workbenches of four by one-and-a-half metres held all in beige dominated the room, the workbenches standing alongside in the middle of the room with very advanced looking monitors standing on both benches, and Ranma's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the left workbench for a reason she couldn't discern.

"But why? I mean, the room looks empty aside from these workbenches and the tech in here, but there's definitely something hidden here. I can feel it, just out of reach, calling to me," Ranma mused to herself, her head tilted to the side as she tried to understand what her senses were telling her.

_"Very good senses you got there, Serenity,"_ a voice from behind suddenly spoke up, startling the Saotome youth.

"Muri!" Ranma exclaimed and whirled around, her right hand clutching her chest, "You almost gave me a coronary!"

_"Sorry, Serenity,"_ Muri replied looking innocent, butter wouldn't melt in her mouth, _"But your senses were spot on. There __**is **__something in this room that fades into the magical background noise for all but members of the Serenity line. __**It **__is kept safe by so many security features that it would take hours to list them all, but that you detected it in the first place proves beyond a doubt that my scans were correct. To take your inheritance, Your Highness, you must simply command me to deactivate the safety measures hiding Lemuria's greatest treasure."_

If Ranma was surprised by this she didn't show it. "Treasure, eh? That's more the panda's speciality, but what the hell. Muri, I command you to un-hide whatever's hidden here."

_"It will be done, Serenity,"_ Muri replied and bowed her head in a gesture of obedience.

For a moment nothing happened, but then several strange pulses of decidedly magical nature flooded the room, and suddenly the very air seemed to flare with a strange lightshow that passed through them, Muri mouthing, _"The light effect you just witnessed was a tetryon discharge due to the cloaking device being shut down."_

Ranma nodded knowingly despite the fact that she hadn't understood a word of the technobabble and muttered, "Of course."

Muri shot her an amused look before pointing at the table. _"Keep your eyes trained on the middle of the table. __**It **__is dimensionally shifted to the side at a 270 degree angle, and should be realigned with our time-space-continuum any moment now."_

"I'll take your word for it, Muri," Ranma replied, her amused undertone conveying she was way in over her head here.

Muri smiled at her de-facto commander. _"Don't worry, we'll get your education up to speed yet, Your Highness."_

Ranma let a sigh escape her lips as she waited for something to happen. "Why'd I have a feeling you'd say that, Muri? And didn't I tell you to stop calling me 'Your Highness'? It's Ranma."

_"I could stop calling you 'Your Highness' as much as you could teleport to the Andromeda galaxy right now, Your Highness. Not at all._

_"Please hear me out,"_ Muri continued when Ranma wanted to protest. _"That you sensed __**it **__and have already begun synching with __**it **__means that you are the legitimate heir to the Serenity line. Not your unborn daughter who __**will **__be heir at one point, nor the other magical signature belonging to the Royal line my sensors are picking up on. You are my commander and the owner of Lemuria, Your Highness. It is engrained into my programming that I serve you in any way possible, and it is also engrained into me that I address you properly. Now that you've proven you're my owner I __**cannot**__ address you disrespectfully."_

"Bugger," Ranma mouthed, and shook her head in sorrow, "Just my luck... Oh, look!"

What had caused Ranma's exclamation was the sudden appearance of a silver coloured cylindrical container of about thirty by seventy centimetres on the left workbench, and to the only living being in the room it had suddenly popped into existence out of nowhere. A soft golden glow enveloped the object, and Ranma's senses told her that **it **was very magical, whatever **it **was.

"So... strong!" Ranma breathed, her eyes wide.

_"Wait until you hold it in your hands, Your Highness,"_ Muri said almost impishly, _"Now please repeat after me: unlock sequence Theta two Epsilon eight Gamma Fourteen dash four point six Beta fifty New Rise. Unlock."_

Ranma followed Muri's instructions to the letter and didn't even dare to blink for fear of missing whatever was about to happen, and then, with an audible phoomph the final protections were deactivated and the cylinder unfolded like a large, mechanical flower, baring its contents to Ranma's curious eyes.

The redhead gasped as her gaze fell upon the object, and despite the fact that it was shaped like a large, golden rock Ranma knew that it was really without a doubt Lemuria's greatest treasure. "It's... awesome, Muri. But what _is _it?"

A reverent look appeared on Muri's face. _"This, Your Highness, is the late Queen's legacy. Her attempt to make it easier on those of the Serenity line that came after her. You have of course heard of the Ginzuishu, or Silver Crystal, the artefact passed down amongst the Royal line."_

"Yes," Ranma nodded, and her face briefly scrunched up, "It is wielded by Sailor Moon, and according to my Clan the single-most powerful tool the other side has."

_"In a nutshell, yes,"_ agreed Muri with an inclination of her head. _"The Queen knew there was a good chance the Ginzuishu would be passed down to her reincarnated daughter at some point, and today we know that this assumption was true._

_"The Queen didn't want to take a gamble, though, she literally didn't want to put all her eggs in one basket," _here Ranma snorted amusedly,_ "and thought up an alternative that'd come into play in case that something went wrong. You being here and pregnant with the Queen's reincarnation suggests that something went __**very **__wrong indeed. It further suggests that the alternate plan has been put into action by the Queen's descendants at least a few months back. _

_"And I had to know if you were worthy of my support, if you truly were the heir, which is why I put you to the test. Suffice to say, you passed with flying colours."_

"Feh, my whole life seems to be a never-ending string of tests, trials and challenges," Ranma muttered a bit sourly and slammed her right fist into her palm, "When this is all over I'm gonna take a loooong vacation."

_"Understandable,"_ Muri mused sympathetically, _"The hardships you encountered to get to this point were likely very rough on you."_

Ranma chuckled softly. "Some time me and you - and maybe the squirt, too - are gonna sit down and I'll tell you my story. Believe me, you're gonna be surprised, and that's probably as much of an understatement as saying the sun's a wee bit hot.

"Anyway, what am I supposed to do?" she asked, indicating the golden glowing rock.

_"As said, you are worthy of wielding the **Lunar Crystal**. It was created by the late Queen and her brother-"_

"Tenma, my ancestor," interrupted Ranma, nodding, "He must've been a right genius."

_"Indeed. They created the Lunar Crystal as part of the backup plan when everything had been shot to hell anyway and hid it so that no one but a blood relative could find the Crystal. _

The AI paused for a moment. _"I know from my databases that they created the Crystal in hopes Tenma's line would produce a Heiress, and its purpose was to aid her magic by finetuning, or, more accurate, streamlining it. If-"_

"What does that mean in normal Japanese?" Ranma asked and rubbed her temples to ward off the headache she was getting from trying to follow Muri's technobabble.

_"In simple terms, the Crystal doesn't bolster your magical core or increases your access to that core magic, no, it works by purifying your magic and streamlining it to a more efficient state, thus granting you incredible control over your magic. Without the Crystal you'd be pouring a lot more magic into your spells than necessary, but with it you can use this excessive energy to make your spells that much stronger._

_"If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been training your magic?"_ Muri wanted to know.

"Err, I just came into my powers yesterday, Muri," replied Ranma after her mind had processed what the AI had said.

_"Yesterday... Not good,"_ Muri muttered almost to herself, _"You will likely experience severe control issues in that case, and there's __**much**__ to learn. It's imperative that you take the Crystal so that your control gets a jumpstart, for you'd be wasting so much energy what with how inexperienced you are. Regardless of how much of a powerhouse you are, Your Highness, you'd tire much faster than the opposition, and all would be lost. You __**must **__use the Crystal, for your safety and the safety of your daughter._

_"At least until you have given birth and the worst is over, that is," _the AI added as an afterthought, _"It __**is **__imperative that you properly learn how to control your magic without relying on outside sources, or all sorts of Bad things __**will **__happen."_

"Bad?" Ranma queried and emphasised the capitalisation.

_"You could crack the planet in half if you lost control, Your Highness. So yes, Bad,"_ Muri replied solemnly.

"So I have no choice but to use the Crystal as a crutch until Senny's been born," Ranma recapped with an unhappy frown, "Or rather, until she'll be able to defend herself. Splendid."

_"It is as you say, Your Highness,"_ Muri agreed neutrally, _"All you have to do now, Serenity, is to pick it up. The hard part's already over,"_ she explained.

Ranma eyed the crystal that was sitting so innocently on the table critically, well aware that the urge to claim the said Crystal as hers was becoming stronger by the minute. "All I have to do is pick ya up, eh? Sounds easy enough, but why do I get the feeling there're strings attached here?"

She sighed and straightened her shoulders. "Chickening out ain't my style anyway, and I really might be able to protect Senny better. Plus, if I take it and keep it safe for Senny we won't need Sailor Moon's crystal," she mused to herself and stared challengingly at the golden glowing object. "So, just you and me, eh?" the Saotome youth mouthed and slowly walked forward until she stood directly in front of the Crystal.

Muri remained silent and just watched as Ranma finally reached out with her left hand and picked up the Crystal, internally commending her de facto owner on exhibiting caution and using what was apparently her weaker hand. The silvery-redhaired woman held the artefact in her hand for some moments before cupping both hands around it, and suddenly, with a blinding flash of golden light the large crystal disappeared...

-.-

Ranma felt disoriented for a moment and her vision was swimming like after a lucky hit from Ryoga which forced her to close her eyes hard to get things back into focus. Her whole body was prickling like she was being supercharged, and she would swear that every hair on her body was standing on end. This almost painful feeling gradually abated until she felt just 'charged', for lack of a better term. Looking down at herself Ranma found that she had been 'levelled up' to her Serenity form, and she was feeling stronger than ever.

"What the fuck just happened?" she uttered, her crude exclamation summing up her feelings on the matter.

_"The Lunar Crystal became a part of you, Your Highness. It cannot be taken from you against your will, ever," _Muri explained. _"And while it has been postulated that it might be weaker than its sister it should go a long way in raising your chances at success. For consider, the more powerful you are the higher the probability that you will be able to protect your daughter."_

Ranma noticed that Muri deliberately tried to play to her motherly, protective side, but she had to admit that it was working. "I hear you, Muri. And if I understood all that shit about the Silver Crystal it's just a focus for ones own power, which means the Lunar Crystal is bound to be the same.

"Anyway, you said this is my inheritance, and what with how this rock is... bonding with me, for lack of a better word, I can believe it, Muri. I feel better than ever, I feel... complete," she said and sighed contently.

Muri smiled and nodded. _"Then all is as it should be, Your Highness, at least according to the Queen's and Tenma's logs. It is highly likely that you'll get access to the higher powers you possess soon."_

Ranma inclined her head and dropped the transformation, returning to her civilian form. "Good. Now let's go, I have some questions for a certain brat..."

-.-

A few minutes later Ranma had returned to the command centre, and her serious blue eyes were spearing a sweating Usa, pinning her in place like an insect. The Saotome had refused to elaborate on what had occurred, but she had the distinct feeling Usa knew anyway. Intensifying her glare Ranma plopped down on one of the many chairs the command centre offered and rested her arms on a console of some kind (careful so as not to push some button or the other by accident), and beckoned Usa to do the same.

Once the younger girl had taken a seat to Ranma's right behind a similar console the redhead cleared her throat. "Now to those questions I mentioned..."

Usa gulped and forced a sheepish smile. Something told her she wouldn't like these questions, but she would hardly get off the hook without providing the other young woman with (satisfying) answers. Pasting a serious expression on her face Usa asked, "What do you want to know, Ranma?"

"I'll get straight to the point. How did you know how to get here? Took me five minutes and the help of the computer, and you sped away like liquid lightnin'. The computer also said she had been activated a minute before I asked her for help. You seem to know the place very well. Care to explain?" Ranma inquired, her expression conveying that she wouldn't accept anything less than the truth.

"I knew I should've been more careful," sighed Chibi-Usa and pouted. "But I had to get here fast and hoped that if I presented you with a game of tag you would try to follow me without it looking suspicious. We'd have stumbled upon the command centre seemingly by chance, but as is wont to happen with my rotten luck you smelled the rat and took too long. That didn't leave me any other choice but to activate what I could."

"'kay. So why do you know your way around here? Is it 'cause you're from the future?"

Chibi-Usa nodded. "Yes. I know my way around here for a simple reason: this place still exists in my time. But I can't say any more, or I might cause a temporal paradox."

"Tempowhat?" asked Ranma dumbly.

Usa sighed. "We really have to get your education up to speed, Ranma. Well, imagine it like this: you travel back in time and cause something in the past that was not supposed to happen. If you're lucky you create an alternate reality that was adapted to your meddling, or, worse, you destroy your dimension and everything in it. You'll surely agree that this wouldn't be good?"

Ranma's eyes had gone wide, and the Saotome girl nodded slowly. "Not good..." she muttered, still shocked by the concept.

"In order to avoid this I can't tell you any more from the future. Events have to unfold as they were meant to, and yes, my intervention was meant to be. Otherwise we'd all be already dead," Chibi-Usa explained.

"Ooookay," Ranma drawled. "And what are we gonna do now?"

"How about we get something to eat and find us a comfy place where we can kick back? I checked the replicators, and they're mostly okay, aside from a few exceptions."

"Food? Cool! I'm starvin' here!" the redhead exclaimed grinning.

"I figured as much," Chibi-Usa said dryly. "Computer, holographic guidance to the cafeteria requested."

_"Processing,"_ came the obedient reply. _"Command carried out."_

The redhead was as fast out of her seat as her pregnant form allowed, leaving a dust-cloud behind. Chibi-Usa chuckled. "Some things never change..." she muttered as she followed the Saotome girl.

Inwardly she was very glad that a few things remained as they were (or would be, she corrected herself), for it was those constants that provided a much-needed sense of security.

-.-

_Lemuria Base, observation deck, 3:55 p.m._

Usa, after having admitted to knowing the place like the back of her hand had led Ranma to one of the lounges the Lemuria base provided, and as soon as the silvery-red-haired young woman had stepped into the room she felt at home. The martial artist turned magical girl warrior let her appreciative gaze wander around, drinking in every detail, every nuance.

She noted right away that the large room bore a strong resemblance to a bar Ranma thought to have seen in one sci-fi show with its many circular tables and comfortable looking chairs set up around the room, and it even had a large - and probably well-equipped - bar. The room itself was held in beige colours that gave it a comfortable and welcoming feeling, and the discretely placed pictures depicting stellar phenomenon and celestial bodies Ranma had never seen before made for a eye-turner, but the room's jewel had to be the large window that spanned the whole starboard side, giving the patrons an unhindered view on the oceanic depths.

The daughter of Sailor Moon chuckled silently when she saw the look on Ranma's face. "It's beautiful, isn't it? The endless depths of the ocean, a view so mesmerising you wanna forget all your troubles," she breathed, eyes glued to the view the window presented.

Ranma, still spellbound, nodded absently and slowly walked over to a table a few metres ahead of her where she plopped onto a chair, absently noticing that it fit itself to her body to ensure a maximum of comfort. "It is quite the view," she admitted, refusing to sound like a pansy, and chuckled, "Didn't peg you for a romantic, Usa."

"I like the view, so what?" Usa retorted casually, her gaze not straying from the view, "The window's of course charmed so that only those on the inside can look out and no one in. No one, be it animal or human has the foggiest that this base is here."

"I- I had the feeling I deactivated some strong magic when I cast the spell. Is that why nobody ever found it?" Ranma wanted to know.

"Yes," Usa nodded, "The whole place is surrounded by wards and shields that ensure no one without the correct pass codes can find and enter the base, and that's just for those with magic in them. You have to be of Tenma's line anyway to do either, let alone calling forth Lemuria like you did."

"I see," Ranma nodded in understanding, "So your mom couldn't enter the base either?"

"Nope. Wrong Serenity," Usa replied with a lopsided grin.

"Good. For that would have really made my day, that your mom, Pluto or the others could enter my base at their leisure," Ranma grumbled, brows furrowed in irritation, "I-"

_"Incoming teleport carrying valid pass codes detected, originating from Juuban Ward, Tokyo, Japan,"_ Muri spoke up urgently, _"Should access be allowed or should the teleport be redirected?"_

Cold fury shone in Ranma's eyes. "Redi-"

"Stop, Ranma!" Usa yelled, halting the other girl in her tracks and causing the magical warrior to turn distrustful eyes on Usa, "She's a friend, and most likely going to be our most powerful ally! And we're gonna need allies!"

Ranma's glare softened a bit as she searched Usa's eyes to find not even a hint of betrayal, and the silvery-redhaired girl couldn't deny the veracity of Usa's statement either. They _were _going to need allies. "Okay. I trust you. But fail me on this and you won't like the consequences, Usa," she warned and left the implications hanging, which elicited a satisfying gulp on the pinkette's part. "Muri, let her pass."

_"As you wish, your Highness,"_ Muri replied, her way of addressing Ranma causing said young woman to grumble.

A blink of an eye later a short raven-haired girl in a purple and maroon coloured fuku appeared in front of them, and Ranma eyed the polearm she was holding in her right hand warily. Not taking her eyes off Sailor Saturn - who was shaking her head to ward off the dizzy feeling the long-range teleport had evoked - Ranma let her annoyance be felt by a noticeable flare up of her power. "She's one of _them_, Usa. Why's she here?" she asked in a tone as cold as ice.

"Because she's not our enemy, Ranma! She doesn't want to kill your baby!" Usa retorted urgently.

_"Warning! Multiple incoming teleports detected!"_ Muri downright yelled, but by then it was far too late.

Ranma whirled around in what seemed to be slow motion, and the last thing she saw was a fuchsia coloured orb of power accompanied by a yell of, "Dead Scream!"

**to be continued**...

"And the earth was a great, dead ball of ice, slowly melting as it fell into the sun." – BorgRabbit

Or will it be? The future's not written yet, nothing is set in stone, and even the most surprising of events might occur. - Trugeta

Well, behold the evil cliffhanger of doom! Muhahahahaha! Erm, I know a lot of you peepz wanna kill me right now, but my muse wanted me to end it right there. And who am I to deny her? # chuckles #

Besides, there're true masters of the cliffhanger out there, and this tiny one's rather harmless. Really. Okay, so you're all glaring at me right now, but know what, the next chapter won't take as long to get out as this one. Promise. With 'Raiju' having gone to the great beyond - not least thanks to Kishimoto screwing up canon so much it ain't funny - this is just the beginning... expect more soon.

Rev. 1.1: corrected the slip up where I used 'English' instead of 'Japanese'.

Rev. 1.2: replaced 'Golden Crystal' with 'Lunar Crystal'. Thanks to Weebee (and others) for pointing out my blunder, and thanks to the peepz at my group for helping me out with suggestions. Special thanks go to Anime-Freak317 for suggesting the 'winner'.


	11. Chapter 11

**Title**: Chaotic Rebirth

**Author name**: Trugeta

**Special thanks to**: BorgRabbit and MetroidVania for editing services rendered and for generally being a damn great sounding board.

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ as well as Naoko Takeuchi and many others. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Note further that I don't own any of the trademarked properties mentioned in this story. Also, the OCs used in this story are works of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead is not intended and purely coincidental.

This story takes place after the failed wedding in the Ranma series and the defeat of Galaxia in the Sailor Moon Series. It's an AU, and reviews are welcome and appreciated.

**  
Chapter 11**

_Easter Island, 3:57 p.m._

The group of six Senshi consisting of Sailors Moon, Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Pluto were still standing on the selfsame cliff they had teleported in on, side by side, waiting for something, some hidden starting signal that seemed to only be known to one of them.

And while curious glances were thrown Sailor Moon's way every now and then, her being the leader after all, the majority of said glances were directed at a tall and elegant green-haired woman clad in a black and white fuku standing to the rightmost side. The Senshi of Time, Sailor Pluto.

The woman also known as Setsuna Meiou kept her face impassive and pretended she didn't notice the looks as she gazed out onto the ocean, but neither the surge of the tide crashing against the massive rock beneath nor the warming sun were of any interest to her.

She calmly and elegantly turned around when she felt two more Senshi teleporting in, and inclined her head in greeting at Sailors Uranus and Neptune and saw the other Senshi do the same while Haruka and Michiru stepped to Pluto's side.

Setsuna was inwardly very relieved that her fellow Outers (bar one) had arrived in time and she almost snickered at her in-joke, but not even a twitch of a muscle betrayed her true emotions. A quick internal Tempus revealed that things were about to get really interesting any moment now, and Sailor Pluto kept her senses trained on high alert so as to be able to react as quickly as possible.

And then the moment came. "Quickly!" Setsuna yelled out, and the fact that she, the always cool and collected mysterious Senshi of Time actually raised her voice startled the other Senshi, "Everyone link hands and follow my lead! There's a hole in their shields!"

A flurry of activity ensued and not a second later all Senshi had done as ordered, and seconds later the large cliff stood empty again.

-.-

Sailor Pluto felt herself reappearing inside an unknown structure, and her mind, having been honed to razor-sharp perfection over countless millennia instantly took in the situation and tactically dissected it. Before her enemy, standing roughly ten metres away, had a chance to react she had already fired off a non-lethal Dead Scream at her target's abdominal area, secure in the knowledge that the magical attack would be fatal for the unborn baby at point blank range.

Her red eyes flashed satisfaction, as she watched her fuchsia coloured ball of magical energy speed toward her target, certain that it would put an end to all her troubles, and she completely ignored the surprised exclamations of the Inner Scouts in favour of watching the outcome.

A sudden shout of, "Silence Wall!" rung through the air, bringing the completely unexpected appearance of a violet-coloured dome around her target, Hotaru and a third, cloaked figure.

Pluto's world turned on its ear, and a shocked "S-Saturn..." escaped the stunned green-haired woman's lips, and even before her attack hit the shimmering barrier the Senshi of Pluto knew that it would never be able to penetrate her adopted daughter's shield.

Eight shocked Senshi watched the magical attack hit the Silence Wall and diffuse to nothingness. Sailors Neptune and Uranus, Saturn's unofficial parents, were amongst the most gobsmacked. The shock quickly gave way to feelings of betrayal, hurt and anger, but the sudden appearance of a flickering silver shield around Ranma, Hotaru and the disguised Usa stopped the exclamations dead on their lips.

But what shocked them even more was the fact that Ranma was now very differently garbed seeing as her magic had automatically upgraded her to her Senshi form to properly deal with the threat posed by Pluto's attack. Two ethereal and dangerous looking blades of magic and energy had formed in Ranma's hands almost on reflex, and the now Sailor suited Saotome glared daggers at the intruders while thinking, **'I really have to do something about these clothes. Seems I didn't think things through, 'cause this… fuku's way too restrictive in a fight. But I'll think about it later, now I've got a few heads to bash in.'**

"A fuku armour," Mars breathed, her eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

"One just like ours!" Mercury added and looked down at the readings of her computer, "And it's the real deal as well! Increases in magic, endurance, strength, et cetera. Even the talismans are real! And the attack she's wielding... It's magical as well as something else that is familiar somehow! How's that possible?"

_"Your Highness, I apologise for not properly protecting you before,"_ Muri spoke up directly after materialising in front of Ranma and drew all attention on her (which had the side effect of temporarily defusing the situation), the AI's echoing voice sounding genuinely embarrassed and guilty, _"I was not able to redirect sufficient energy quickly enough to deflect the attack. I'm sorry I failed you."_

Ranma's face cycled through a myriad of emotions before settling on a neutral expression except for a small, ironic smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, and she let the vacuum blades dissipate seeing that the situation seemed to be under control for the moment. "Doncha worry about it, Muri," she replied dismissively amidst curious whispers amongst the Scouts pertaining to why the newcomer had called their target 'Your Highness,' and glanced at Hotaru, the smile still on her lips, "It's not your fault, and I seem to have had unexpected help."

The young Saotome's comment caused angry expressions to blossom on the faces of two particular Scouts, but while Haruka and Michiru were about to lay into their adoptive daughter, Setsuna simply asked, "Why?" in a deceptively cool and collected voice.

Hotaru's unwavering gaze met Setsuna's cold red eyes. "Because someone I trust more than anyone else told me she," the raven-haired girl inclined her head and indicated Ranma, "is a protect at all costs asset. I don't have to tell you what that means do I?"

"You have doomed our future, Saturn, or you will if you don't desist. This is far too important to listen to an outside source, and you know as well as I do that protect at all cost status is only given to members of the Royal Family. Need I have to remind you that there is but one such member in existence, namely our Queen?" Sailor Pluto downright demanded, nodding toward Sailor Moon who was holding herself in the background for the time being.

Hotaru faltered for a moment and lowered her gaze, but then her posture firmed and she stared defiantly at her adoptive parents and 'aunt'. "_She_ would never lie to me, especially not when it pertains to her family. I-"

"Whoever told you otherwise is wrong, Saturn," Sailor Moon interrupted gently but firmly and stepped forward until she was only two metres away from the shimmering barrier, "There is no one left but me."

"Wrong." the cloaked figure said, speaking up for the first time, and shrugged off her black cloak, revealing her features for all to see. "Hello, mom. As you can see, the rumours of my demise were greatly exaggerated."

"Usa!" every Scout bar Pluto (who was hit by the possible ramifications of the continued existance of Usa and thus too preoccupied with trying to make heads or tails of it) seemed to exclaim at once.

"How... Why..." Sailor Moon stammered in shock and almost stumbled when she stepped back, staring at her supposedly deceased daughter who was wearing her full Senshi garb.

"It's a trick, Your Highness," Pluto , (who had finally come to the decision that this was all a ploy somehow staged by their enemy), spoke up before hope could bloom in Usagi's heart. "This is likely nothing more but an elaborate scheme to sow discord in our ranks."

"No," Usa exclaimed intently, "Listen-"

"Yeah! They're defiling Small Lady's memory! WORLD SHAKING!" Uranus yelled before anyone could do anything.

The powerful energy attack slammed into the shield Muri had created in front of Saturn's Silence Wall, and a grin appeared on Uranus' face despite the fact that the shield hadn't given. "The shield flared! That means they won't be able to keep it up for very long, and we just have to convince Saturn to stop this foolishness! Everyone, attack!"

"ENOUGH!!" Ranma yelled enraged, and her hair began to float around her like a halo as she began to bring forth her Greater Magic.

The power that began to roll off her in waves caused Hotaru and Usa to take several steps until they had reached the limits of the Silence Wall's perimeter.

"Scary!" Hotaru mouthed.

"Ru-chan, focus your Silence Wall around us _now_!"

"But-"

"Do it!"

A confused Hotaru quickly followed her friend's request, and not sooner had she done so then a gigantic pulse of magical power emanated from Ranma. All present had to blink away the spots dancing in their vision, and the assembled Senshi stared as one at the sight presented to them.

"It cannot be!" exclaimed a shocked Sailor Mars. "She looks-"

"Just like the Queen!" concluded Sailor Mercury, and stopped her goggling in favour of consulting her Mercury computer, "Even her magical signature... The power output... Her looks... There can almost be no doubt... She _is_ of the Royal family."

"But how-"

"SILENCE!" bellowed the fully transformed Ranma furiously. Her eyes glowed an eerie silver as she swept her powerful gaze over her uninvited guests, finally coming to rest on Pluto, "You dare invade my property, dare attack me and, what's worse, attempt to murder my unborn daughter, expecting me to let you get away with it, bitch? You're sooo dead."

"Hey! You threaten one of us you threaten all of us!" snarled Sailor Neptune angrily, hands planted on her hips in an aggressive manner.

"Hell yeah!" agreed her lover, her posture conveying that she was more than ready to attack despite the strange turn of events. "She probably brainwashed Hotaru as well. Future stealing bitch!"

Ranma, whose gaze had never left Pluto, sneered contemptuously, "And which future would that be? Oh, you mean the one built upon the bones of over six billion innocents?" she asked sarcastically, her silver eyes shooting daggers particularly at the three Outers standing not ten metres away. "The one that would've turned Earth into a frozen ball of ice for centuries? That one?

"Too bad that future's gone for good now, isn't it? If only it hadn't been prevented by something far worse..."

"Yeah, by you!" cut in Uranus angrily, and nodded her head at Pluto, "Pluto saw it through the Gates of Time!"

"Just as your profile says," scoffed Ranma and made no effort to keep the disdain out of her voice, "you're trigger-happy, hotheaded and quick to lose your temper, stop at nothing to attain your ends and attack without having all the facts. Excuse me that I'm not awed by your display and grovel on the ground, begging for forgiveness."

"Why you!" snarled Uranus angrily, energy beginning to crackle in her hands.

Ranma cocked a silver brow in amusement and regarded the Scout like a pesky annoyance, but turned her head when Usa muttered, "Ranmaaa..."

"Anyway, _I_ did not destroy your 'future utopia'," she said coolly and made derisive air-quotes, "But I'll fight the ones that are going to bring an end to the world as we know it tooth and nail, and you better not stand in my way!"

"A likely story," spoke up Pluto coldly, "I-"

"Leave my base, you especially, time-witch," Ranma cut in, her eyes shining with unholy anger as she glared at Pluto. "You have more than overstayed your welcome. Not that you ever were welcome in the first place."

"You stupid, arrogant-"

"Shut up, Uranus. That's an order," Sailor Moon snapped authoritatively with power lacing her voice, and swivelled her head to look at Ranma once her fellow Senshi had indeed snapped her mouth shut, her gaze softening. "I'm sorry. What did you mean by that, that Crystal Tokyo has been prevented by something far worse? And how can you be of the Serenity line?"

"I don't have to answer you, nor am I inclined to. Muri, teleport everyone bar Usa and Saturn-"

"Stop, Ranma!" Usa yelled, drawing the older teen's attention on her. Once she had said attention her face softened for a moment, only to turn imploring and almost pleading. "This is your chance to explain to them where they went wrong. To tell them what will happen if they don't stop."

"Usa?" Sailor Moon queried uncertainly.

"Not now, mom," the said young woman replied without taking her eyes off Ranma, waving her hands about distractedly. "Ranma, now is _the_ chance to make them listen. They're here and can't teleport out. Muri can prevent them from damaging the base. Not to mention what you'd do should they try anything."

"Why you little…" Uranus began angrily.

"Stuff it, Uranus," Usa interrupted calmly. "I could wipe the floor with you without breaking a sweat, but that's nothing on what Ranma could and would do."

"I hate to break it to you, Uranus," Mercury interrupted before the hotheaded young woman could retort, "But she's right. According to the Mercury Computer she," the bluish-black-haired girl nodded her head at Ranma, "is roughly as strong as Moon when she goes all out. And I mean really all out. Don't look at me like that, she is that strong! How, I don't know."

Tenma's heir fought the smirk that wanted to appear on her face, but the situation was much too precarious which made it easy to paste a pissed off expression on her face. "Maybe you should ask the timebitch over there how that came about. Or did her precious Gates of Time not show it?"

"How do you know about the Gates of Time?" demanded Michiru Kaioh with narrowed eyes, the Senshi of Neptune being the first to form words after learning this precarious bit of information.

Ranma's answering smirk was so self-confident it bordered on arrogant. "I know everything, Outer Senshi Neptune. The Witches 5. Wiseman. Mistress 9. Pharaoh 90. Beryl. Galaxia," she listed and rejoiced in the gobsmacked expressions the Scouts were sporting, and a broad grin almost escaped her when she heard Pluto mutter, "We've been compromised. But how?"

"Aww, don't look so shocked, Neptune, Uranus. It's bad for your skin and might leave wrinkles. Hmm, on second thought, not that it'd matter in your case seeing as you seem to be on the wrong side of forty anyway, and I better don't even mention Pluto. She's older than dirt anyway," she mused with a mock-thoughtful look and watched Uranus' face purple despite the disguise field, and had to hide a grin when Neptune (who looked pissed off as well) squeezed the other Senshi's hand, hard.

"Anyway," the martial-artist-turned-magical-warrior (who was a tad disappointed that Pluto hadn't visibly reacted to her insult) continued before the impotently fuming Uranus could pop a vessel, according to Pluto me awakening my magic is probably due to the 'demon-spawn' in my oven, right, Pluto?" she spat sarcastically, making mocking air quotes.

Ranma's words were like water off a duck's back where Pluto was concerned, but Neptune and Uranus predictably bristled (again). A commanding wave of Moon's hand, and not least her expression that screamed Queen Serenity stalled their retorts, though. "I for one would like to hear your view on things, Ranma, was it?"

"Yes," Ranma replied, and Moon's openness and apparent want to understand the situation made her relax a bit. "And I will agree to that if you promise me that neither you nor your Scouts will attack me. Or-"

"Or what?" challenged Uranus, only to flinch under Moon's disapproving glare.

That was nothing on Ranma suddenly unleashing her full power, and everyone present (Pluto included) gasped. "Or we will find out if the combined might of Lemuria and my own will be sufficient for kicking your sorry ass all the way to Uranus so you can find out if your bond-planet still has habitable zones. Got me?" she asked in a tone colder than zero, unblinking silver eyes drilling holes into the offending Scout.

Ami for her part had the presence of mind to check her computer, and shook her head in fascination upon her findings. "There's no doubt, it's pure Silver Millennium energy in a concentration that's incredible. And it's all her, not the other source we picked up on a while ago."

"But how?" asked Mars, a mixture of worry and curiosity on her face.

"Maybe Ranma'd be willing to tell you if you'd give her the vow she asked of you, mom. She said as much," Usa chimed in in an attempt to counteract Ranma's growing annoyance.

Moon met the muttered comments of 'traitor' originating from Sailors Uranus and Neptune with a glare and turned her head to regard Ranma. Searching the other woman's silver eyes for long moments Usagi's expression suddenly firmed, her eyes showing that she'd come to a decision. "I, Sailor Moon, Heiress to the Silver Millennium, herewith vow that no attacks upon your person will be permitted whilst our being on Lemuria. Infractions will be dealt with... harshly," she concluded seriously, her gaze lingering on the three Outer Scouts for long moments before returning to Ranma.

The Saotome inclined her head in acceptance, respect briefly flaring up in her eyes. "That's acceptable. Don't think I didn't notice you left yourself with the option to attack me outside my base," she said with a smile that turned cold, "but that was to be expected. Should she," Ranma's head jerked over to Pluto, and she laced the Time Mistress with a death glare, "try something, _anything_, though, I'll turn her into her component atoms and spread them over the milky way. I've had it with her attempts on my child, and I have more than enough power to see my threat through, consequences be damned."

"And she _could_ do it," Ami spoke up, her face showing a mixture of shock and awe, "Easily in fact. She circulated 4.2 Terawatts worth of energy a few moments ago, almost as much as your max, Moon."

Moon's soft gaze met Ranma's cold silver eyes. "I understand that you're angry, and admit that you apparently being of the Serenity line intrigues me, but until I have all the facts I ask you to cut down on the threats, okay?" she asked friendly, but her voice held a steely undercurrent.

"Fine," Ranma agreed after a last glare at Pluto and powered down, "I agree to the mutual cease fire and suggest we all sit down around the large table over there," she said and pointed at a circular table that'd easily accommodate their number. "Everyone grab a seat. Usa, you mind being bartender?"

"Not at all, Ranma," Usa replied with a small smile and pulled out something that looked remotely like a portable computer.

"Bossy much?" muttered Uranus snidely.

"Pregnant much," Ranma shot back irritably and muttered, "and if you don't stop annoying me you'll never experience the 'joys' of a pregnancy."

"What was that?" Uranus growled out.

"You heard me, bi-" Ranma began, but was interrupted by Moon clearing her throat and sitting down. "That'll be enough, Uranus. I for my part would like to hear Ranma's story, and your comments don't help."

"B- But she did something to Saturn, and she destroyed our future, Moon!" Uranus protested, "And she really rubs me the wrong way!"

"Couldn't agree more," added Neptune demonstratively, crossing her arms underneath her breasts.

"That feeling's soooo mutual," Ranma muttered with dangerously narrowed eyes.

Moon, whose sensitivity to magic had steadily grown stronger ever since the Galaxia incident, closed her eyes and concentrated. "There's not a hint of foreign magic in Saturn, Uranus. And it hasn't been proven yet that it was Ranma who caused the disappearance of Crystal Tokyo. All we have is Pluto's word, and while that is normally enough for me there are mitigating circumstances in this case that make a thorough investigation necessary," she said with a half-apologetic glance at Pluto, who took her commander's words with a minute inclination of her head, "We also don't have a shred of prove that Ranma caused Saturn to act as she did. So I ask you to cut back on your antagonism, Uranus, Neptune. Personal feelings should never stand in the way of our duty."

"But-"

"Drop it, you two, that's an order," Moon emphasised authoritatively, her stern, powerful gaze prompting the other Senshi to shut their mouths with a click.

"Finally. I almost thought the tomboy and her sweetie would never take the hint," Ranma muttered just loud enough to be heard, the smirk playing on her face making her eyes gleam.

"Ranma, it's not helpful to antagonise them," Usa spoke up in a chiding tone and nodded her head at the fuming Uranus, effectively wiping the smug look off the silver-haired woman's face, "You don't want to shoot your chance to convince them to hell right from the start, do you?"

"Too late," muttered Neptune but was largely ignored seeing as most of the Scouts - especially Moon - were gobsmacked by the maturity Usa was displaying.

"You're onto something there, squirt," Ranma allowed, a small smile tugging at her lips, "So, how about you take the orders now? I for my part would like a cuppa Oolong tea."

Usa inclined her head and noted it down in her handheld. Letting her gaze wander over the group she said, "Everyone, order up!"

Their surprise overcome the Scouts did just that, and not five minutes later everyone, including the 'bartender', was nursing a variety of beverages (non-alcoholic). Even Pluto, who seemed to have accepted that she had for the time being lost her opportunity to eliminate the 'threat', had ordered green tea.

As soon as everyone had been served, the same aura of anticipation Ranma had encountered before in Nerima prior to telling her tale to her friends had sprung up. Firming her expression the silver-haired man-turned-woman began to talk.

"First off, my name's Ranma, Ranma Saotome, not Ranko Tendo. I was born the son of Nodoka and Genma Saotome," here she had to interrupt herself due to a cacophony of exclamations of disbelief.

"That can't be! Ranma Saotome is a hunky, yummy guy!" Venus exclaimed, in the throes of confident belief.

"_He_ is one of Japan's, if not the world's, best martial artists! So how can _you _claim to be him?" Uranus demanded with angrily narrowed eyes, outrage tingeing her voice.

**'Interesting. She seems to respect my male side for some reason, or she wouldn't have reacted like that,'** Ranma thought with a calculating look, **'Maybe I can use that to my advantage somehow.'**

"You are forgetting about the Starlights," Hotaru spoke up in a firm voice before anyone could add their two cents, her expression going stern, "And it's not polite to hack away at someone without even giving them the chance to bring forward proof," she added in a dangerously quiet tone, her violet eyes easily conveying her displeasure.

Moon sipped her tea and frowned while the chastised Scouts tried to inch away from Saturn's stern glare, Neptune and Uranus wearing looks of surprise. "Not to sound like a total ignoramus,"

"Too late for that," chimed in Mars with a smirk.

"- but who's Ranma Saotome?" Moon concluded, ignoring Mars' barb.

"Mom, you're so outta the loop it ain't funny," Usa sighed and rubbed her temples amidst an indignant "Hey!" from her mother. "Ranma here's one of Japan's premier martial artists, maybe the worlds'. Isn't that right, Ru-chan?"

Hotaru somehow managed to suppress the rosy blush that wanted to bloom on her face when all eyes were on her and sent a glare her friend's way before clearing her throat. "What Usa just said is true. Ranma holds mastery in at least ten martial arts styles, is proficient at handling almost any weapon and wields several special attacks. His... Her strength level and endurance surpasses that of any of us easily, in short, her body's a highly trained weapon.

"From what is known of her and her alter ego, Ranko Tendo she's honourable to a fault, trustworthy and compassionate, but with a boatload of problems you wouldn't wish on anyone," she concluded, her violet eyes softening when her gaze came to rest on Ranma.

"So that's why I drew blanks... Somehow the Gates were confounded," Pluto muttered to herself, a scowl of displeasure marring her features.

"Your precious Gates aren't worth shit, timeb- Pluto," Ranma hissed venomously, startling everyone in the room with her vehemence, "If you hadn't put so much faith into your 'unbeatable' tool none of this might've happened," she growled and forced herself to relax, "But more to that later."

"If you have something to say, say it," Pluto said evenly and gazed at Ranma with cold eyes, her face emotionless.

"I said _later_," Ranma emphasised icily and her silver eyes briefly lit up with power, before she swivelled her head to regard Moon, "Saturn accurately summed up my curriculum vitae, and now allow me to establish my bona fides.

Ranma noticed Pluto's widening eyes, "What, surprised that I'm not a dumb martial arts jock, that I can use big words?" she queried sarcastically, a delicate silver brow raised mockingly, and she internally rejoiced for the first time that her dear relatives and Senny-chan had practically stuffed a dictionary sideways into her brain. "I cannot afford to be dumb or naive, in fact, I never could," she retorted and paused to add **'If only the price for realising that hadn't been so damn high,'** mentally, and a mean grin playing on her face she added, "Too bad, would've made things easier for you, eh?"

"Oh yes," muttered Pluto clearly wistfully and downed her tea in one go.

Ranma glared daggers at her and flipped the Time Mistress the bird, completely uncaring of how immature the act was. A scoff later the silver-haired teen turned her gaze on Moon and reached for her tea, calmly taking a sip. "Regardless of a certain someone's wishful thinking, I'm Ranma Saotome, not Ranko Tendo. And as Saturn can tell ya, that opens up a damn can of whoopass on ya."

"Is that a threat?" asked Jupiter matter of factly, a brunette brow cocked.

"It can be," Ranma retorted with a smile that had a decidedly savage edge, and turned her head when she felt two kis in particular flare, her silver eyes now hard as diamonds, "Save it," she growled in Neptune's and Uranus' directions and conjured twin silver-blue Moko Takabisha in her palms, "That's one of my signature attacks, the Moko Takabisha. I invented it when I had to go toe to toe with my friend Ryoga Hibiki, who was more of a rival dead set on defeating me back then, and I'll gladly demonstrate its effectiveness.

"Or, would you like to test how your fuku armour fares against a salvo of vacuum blades?" she growled and stared hard at all three Outer Scouts while balancing an ethereal looking silver blade of ki and magic on each index finger, "Or, would you like to get intimately familiar with my Hiryuu Shoten Ha and its variations? Any volunteers?"

Gasps had echoed throughout the lounge during Ranma's demonstration, and the silver-haired teen had been hard pressed to keep her composure when Pluto had palmed her face and muttered, "Oh Goddess shoot me badly, it can't get any worse."

"B-But how?" Uranus finally managed to utter, her face showing just how gobsmacked she was.

"You believe her?" Neptune asked her lover, surprise showing on her face for a different reason.

Everyone in the room seemed to be looking at her, but it was evident Uranus didn't care. "The proof... It's too damn good, dear. No one but Ranma Saotome can do what she just did, even if the energy attack, the Moko Takabisha, was a bit off-colour."

"That's due to the fact that all of her attacks consist of magic as well as what is commonly called ki and reiki," Ami spoke up, her blue eyes showing the satisfaction she felt at having solved yet another scientific puzzle, "After I had remembered where I'd seen the sameself energy being used, in Mars' fire readings in fact, identifying it was easy. The attacks are genuine, as far as the Mercury computer is concerned. How it is possible for Ranma Saotome and Ranko Tendo to be one and the same-"

"And not to forget of the Royal family!" interjected Jupiter.

"- I cannot say," concluded Mercury seamlessly.

Ranma continued to nurse her tea for a few moments, then she placed her almost empty cup on the table and let her gaze travel over the assembled Senshi. "Due to the fact that not all of you seem to be irrational and trigger-happy I'll give you the answer. And it is quite simple. Magic.

"Don't look at me like that, you being Sailor Senshi and throwing around magical attacks every day should at least go a long way in opening up your minds to the possibility."

"She has a point there," muttered Mars, her face sporting a thoughtful frown, "Magic does allow for the seemingly impossible."

"Well said, Mars," agreed Moon, her comment drawing incredulous looks, "And let's indeed not forget the Sailor Starlights. So, how did that," the Moon Princess waved her arms about, "come to pass?"

Ranma almost chuckled. "You won't be surprised that it's an often told tale, and all I can say, here I go again. Well, it happened over four years ago, when I travelled the Qinghai Province in China..."

-.-

Incredulous looks were prevalent amongst the Scouts, and it was Neptune who commented first. "The odds for something like that happening are pretty long. And why did we never find hide nor hair of this supposed magical valley?" she wanted to know, her face showing disbelief and distrust.

"Because the valley is shielded against detection," Ranma replied in the tone of voice of someone who had just had an epiphany, "And only those who are destined to be cursed for one reason or another are drawn to Jusenkyo. No one else."

"By the Goddess, it all makes sense," muttered Pluto unexpectedly, and the Guardian of the Time Gates palmed her face, much to everyone's surprise, "Why I couldn't get a lock on her, and why I couldn't trace her past. A powerful magic was blocking me, and it stands to reason it was this Jusenkyo magic."

"But Pluto, couldn't that have been caused by something else? I find that pretty unbelievable as well," spoke up Uranus, her face sporting a frown.

"Ooh, surprise," Ranma spat sarcastically and met Uranus glare with one of her own.

"To be honest, it isn't. There is no other logical explanation why I couldn't scry her life seeing as her magic hadn't manifested back then, and the baby couldn't have fully blocked me either. Curses that force a full-body transformation on a victim are without exception highly potent magic, and they _are_ the types of magic that have the effects described," Pluto replied, her eyes going distant for a moment, "No, the probability that this part of the story is true is high, very high."

"Now there's a surprise, Pluto speaking up in my favour, if only 'cause she's stating the facts," mused Ranma, a mock-disbelieving look on her face.

"Raaanma, that's not helping," Usa muttered and tapped her right foot on the ground.

"Oookay," Ranma allowed, but didn't lessen her glare at the Outers - safe Saturn - one bit, "But I don't like them, and I don't trust them."

"That's entirely mutual," Neptune retorted, her calming hand resting on her lovers' own preventing Uranus from uttering a more severe comment.

"Be it as it is, Mercury's and Saturn's account brought forward pretty convincing evidence that your claim to be Ranma Saotome might be true, and Pluto pretty much confirmed your story just now. That, and the fact that I know that anything is possible where magic is concerned makes me more than inclined to believe you, " spoke up Moon before things could escalate any further, "So you fell into that magical spring, a boy of fifteen years, and emerged as a girl? Kami above, I dunno how I'd have reacted had I been in your shoes."

Ranma managed a true smile, respect for Moon briefly flaring up in her eyes. "It was beyond weird, and my first impulse was to kill my father. Imagine, you'd been a boy for fifteen years, hadn't known the first thing about how the other side lives, and suddenly, boom, I was of said other side with everything that entailed. And yeah, I mean _everything_, as should be obvious," she said and stroked her belly fondly, "No surprise I had the strongest urge to kill the stupid panda back then, no?"

"Not really," muttered Venus in a surprisingly gruff tone, "I mean, had someone taken my femininity away, and be it even half of the time, I'd have skinned them alive. How did you cope?"

"Not at all," Ranma replied, much to the surprise of many, "You see, I always tried to act like a man, even when I was in female form, and that only changed when I was coerced into having Senny."

"Coerced into? You mean it didn't happen of your own free will?" Moon wanted to know, curiosity tingeing her voice.

"Not really. Or can you imagine that a man who's indeed forced to become a woman via application of cold water, and who thinks of himself as a man regardless of the body would agree to getting pregnant of his own free will?" Ranma asked almost sarcastically and helped herself to more tea.

Moon took a gulp of her own beverage and slowly shook her head, and seeing as it was readily apparent that she was about to comment the other Scouts chose to keep themselves in the background. Wiping away some excess moisture from her lips with the back of her hand Moon smiled ironically at Ranma. "If you phrase it like that, no. So what happened to convince you?"

"First off, it was a harebrained plan to kidnap me and force-impregnate me with a mixture of genetic material from Queen Serenity VI. and my own female DNA that was sprung at me. So nothing much with convincing in the first place," the Saotome elaborated and elicited gasps.

"F-Female DNA? You mean to say that-"

Ranma interrupted Mercury with a firm nod, her eyes hard. "The bastards that kidnapped me found a way to combine two female egg cells. Don't ask me how, said it was advanced genetic engineering, and that's not really my forte. It works, though, and I'm living proof."

"S-So they took an egg-cell from you, likely one that fit with their prerequisites, and merged it with an egg cell that they had from Queen Serenity VI.?" asked Mercury incredulously in place of her fellow Scouts, the mind of the young medic in training struggling with the concept.

Ranma, who let her gaze unobtrusively wander over the Scouts, noticed a myriad of different emotions on their faces ranging from compassion to incredulity to jealousy, nodded, her facial expression conveying that she'd come to terms with what had happened. "Right on the dot, Mercury," she confirmed.

"Who- Who'd do something like that? That's practically rape!" Venus breathed, outrage tingeing her voice

"And why?" Moon added, compassion visible on her face, and it was obvious from the Moon Princess' face that she hadn't yet realised the family relations between Senny and her, "To force someone, you, to go through that... Unbelievable!"

"It's abhorrent! I'd have killed the bastards!" agreed Jupiter.

"Silenced them…," whispered Saturn quietly, yet heard by all, her violet eyes almost black in colour.

"Why do you all believe her so easily?" Uranus demanded, casting an annoyed glance at her fellow Scouts, "This story about combining two egg cells is pretty unbelievable on its own, but that her kidnappers mysteriously had samples from our Queen can't be anything but a lie!"

Ranma, who'd carefully hidden her surprise at how compassionate some of the Scouts were reacting and who'd just reminded herself that it might be an attempt at cosying her along suppressed the urge to punch the annoying Scout through a wall with great difficulty. "So you're saying I'm a liar, yes? In that case I'm sure Mercury's computer thingy," she waved a hand at Mercury's computer, "can confirm that I am a direct descendant of the man known as Orion the Hunter, brother to Queen Serenity VI., the man who founded my line. And he was the one who insisted on taking safety precautions like keeping samples of the Queen's DNA in a safe place, to which Serenity agreed.

"Only when everything went to hell during the Fall did he retrieve the samples in hopes of restoring the Kingdom, but that never came to be. Tenma had to hide on Earth and placed himself in a cryo sleep to wait for more favourable times to come, which ultimately led to him founding my line. Which brings us to the here and now."

Gasps followed Ranma's announcement, and Ranma shot Pluto an evil grin. "You weren't as thorough as you thought when you killed my ancestor, timebitch- oh, pardon me, Pluto."

"I did no such thing," Pluto objected evenly, her arms folded underneath her breasts.

"Of course not. The same as you did _not_ eliminate tactical threats to Crystal Tokyo all throughout history, isn't that right?" Ranma spat, and shook her head to get herself under control, "Anyway, we're getting off topic here, but mark my words, everyone will see to what lengths you are willing to go to ensure the coming about of your perfect utopia."

Pluto met Ranma's hard gaze evenly, "I have nothing to hide."

"We shall see what your fellow Scouts think about the skeletons in your closet, Pluto. It'll be worse by far to be judged by them rather than by me," Ranma said with a hint of eager anticipation in her voice, and she was hard pressed to hide her smug grin when she saw the other Scout's curious and puzzled faces, "But we'll come to that. Anyway, it was determined that I was the one with the greatest magical potential and capacity in our line since, well, forever. Just my luck, that.

"But even the prospect of gaining unbelievable power held no allure to me, even if this power was mine by birthright. Or would have been, had I been born female. I had lived all my life as a male, had in fact been raised to be a man amongst men, and here they wanted me to be mother to some magical super mutant just because I had taken an accidental dunk in the Nyannichuan? I asked 'em idiots if they were serious, and told 'em to go screw themselves when they said yes!

"I would never have agreed to undergo the procedure, never have even considered it, hadn't it been for something that is, as so often in my life as of late, tied to Pluto here. I'll have to speak verbosely, so excuse me if I help myself to some tea beforehand," the Saotome teen said with a shrug, and gladly accepted the cup Usa quickly poured her.

"Well, you all know about Crystal Tokyo and how some kind of natural disaster will lead up to it, right? A kingdom of love and justice," she said neutrally, her voice carrying no inflection.

Moon shook her head to gather her bearings, and the motion of the Moon Princess' head prompted Ranma to regard her with a questioning look. "Sorry, it's just that it is a shock to learn that I might just have – or almost assuredly have – family left outside of Usa. And it's also par for the course that we seem to be on different sides of the fence," she mused with a sigh.

"Par for the course? Ooooh yeah," muttered Ranma in agreement, her eyes holding a mixture of resignation and bitter amusement.

"Your Highness, maybe it doesn't have to be this way if you, we, just listen to Ranma's side of the story. There's enough evidence to suggest that Setsuna-ma – Setsuna might've been wrong about the situation," Hotaru spoke up, and everyone – especially Pluto, who flinched barely noticeably – noticed that the raven-haired girl had corrected herself when addressing one of her adoptive mothers, "She's human, just like the rest of us, even she's not infallible."

**'Setsuna, eh? Finally a name to go with the face!'** Ranma crowed delightedly, but kept her face impassive, **'And gauging from the timebitch's reaction Saturn correcting herself was a severe blow to her. Heh, getting out of bed already paid off.'**

Ranma noticed further that Hotaru's words caused thoughtful expressions of varying degree to appear on the Scout's faces, and a laboured sigh escaped Moon's lips. "Hotaru is right, Pluto. We've gone through hell and back together, but no one is infallible, not even you, and I will continue to listen to Ranma's account, unbiased and fair as is expected of me."

If Pluto was surprised by the Moon Princess' words she didn't show it, and her only visible reaction was a minute inclination of her head. "I understand, Princess."

"Good," Moon said regally, and turned her head to look at Ranma, "In answer to your question, yes, Crystal Tokyo is, to put it bluntly, our drive, and the reason why we pushed ourselves to succeed despite the odds stacked against us time and again." nodded Moon. Her face cycled through a myriad of emotions as she remembered past hardships and sacrifices, "We knew there was a better future waiting for us if only we fought hard enough, and fight we did. To win." she concluded amidst agreeing exclamations of her fellow Scouts.

Ranma waited until Moon had collected herself and inclined her head in a warrior's gesture of respect. "And you did an admirable job. What you didn't have were the whole facts, or rather the knowledge of what has changed. Crystal Tokyo will now never come about, and it's not because of my daughter or me. So regardless of if you kill me or not, your future kingdom is gone. For good."

"And I assume you have the facts you alluded to?" Pluto's icy cold and sarcastic voice cut through the shocked silence.

"As a matter of fact, yes, I do," Ranma shot back in a tone that matched Pluto's to a tee, "And so would you hadn't you shirked your duties!"

Before Pluto, who had cocked a verdant brow in surprise at Ranma's accusation, could utter a word to defend herself Neptune had already hissed, "What would _you_ know! She was always there for us when we needed her! She was the one to awaken us in the first place! You have no right to throw around accusations like that!"

"Is that so?" Ranma retorted in a deceptively calm voice, and not just Neptune didn't like the glint in the silver eyes of the Saotome youth. "Muri, have our deep space sensors been brought online?" she asked in a seeming non sequitur.

The AI materialised from thin air beside Ranma, head held in a brief bow. _"Not yet, Your Highness. It'll take at least another twenty minutes, the same as with the rest of our sensors. I apologise for the inconvenience, but a lot of defective micro-circuits have to be replaced, same as with the controls for internal shielding."_

Ranma frowned briefly seeing as that didn't play into her plans, but shrugged seeing as she knew the AI was doing her best. "Not to worry, Muri. I'll just have to give a verbal explanation before presenting our guests with visual proof."

"You mean to say that- that this base ain't fully operational yet?" Jupiter asked incredulously.

"Muri?" Ranma prompted.

_"Lemuria is currently at forty-five percent of its full operational capacity. The details are restricted to need to know basis, and seeing as my Commander hasn't cleared any of those present this is all you will learn,"_ the AI elaborated calmly.

"Incredible," Mercury breathed and consulted her computer, "Keep in mind, this base has been inactive for 14,000 years-"

_"14,686 years, 267 days, 3 hours, 12 minutes and 48 seconds, and this information was for free seeing as it's uncritical,"_ Muri interjected helpfully, and Ranma had to suppress a snort at how much like Nabiki the AI had just sounded.

"As said, 14,000 plus years, and it hasn't been more than half an hour since its reactivation. But it is almost up to half capacity, and the readings I'm picking up are nothing short of incredible!" Mercury enthused, looking from one face to the other until her gaze came to rest on Moon, "There're googols of nano-bots and much more complex repair drones at work, and one can literally feel the power output rising! I-"

_"The scramblers have just come online, Your Highness,"_ Muri interrupted with a far away look before refocusing her gaze on Ranma, _"Should I block her?"_

"Just redirect her from the security relevant zones, Muri. And yes, that's a gesture of good will," Ranma said to Moon, her voice holding a soft edge. "Blame it on the pregnancy or on li'l ole me being her naive self, but I feel not all of you are out for my blood," she mused, lacing Pluto with a sidelong glare, "Speaking of which, Muri, any explanation on how they managed to get through the shields?"

All eyes (except Pluto's who continued to nurse her tea without taking her eyes off Ranma) were on the AI, and Muri briefly spaced out. _"My logs show that after you approved of Senshi Saturn's entry the selfsame approved of encrypted signal was used to teleport the group consisting of the eight other Senshi into the base. Due to the fact that this happened within a fraction of a second and taking into account that the majority of my limited capacity had been redirected I had insufficient resources to react quickly enough, contrary to my expectations. The remodulated shields slammed into place three point five nine picoseconds too late, for which I apologise."_

"Doncha worry, Muri, forgiven and forgotten," Ranma waved it away, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips, "And maybe Usa here's right, maybe something good will come with the bad. How long till the sensors are repaired?"

_"Seventeen minutes, forty-eight seconds, Your Highness,"_ Muri answered, unperturbed by Ranma's sudden change of topic. _"Serenity, if I may-"_

"Of course, Muri. Go ahead."

_"I'm picking up low-level tetryon emissions originating from Senshi Pluto's left wrist. It's barely detectable and I only picked up on it due to the fact that the repair drones just restored one of the secondary energy grids which gave me barely enough energy for the internal sensors,"_ the AI said, squinting at the Time Guardian's left wrist.

Ranma's gaze swivelled to Pluto's seemingly bare left wrist, a calculating look lighting up her eyes. "Now look who's keeping secrets from her fellow warriors," she said sarcastically, and was elated to see in the other Scout's faces that her barb struck home.

"Pluto?" queried Moon in a voice that betrayed confusion and surprise.

"The AI is indeed correct, Princess," Pluto replied in an outwardly calm tone and briefly pressed her right index finger to her wrist, which unveiled a bangle that looked strangely familiar.

Ranma's eyes immediately wandered from the bangle on Pluto's wrist to the selfsame ones Saturn and Usa were wearing, and her gaze narrowed in suspicion. Before she could speak her mind though Saturn expelled a shaky breath and asked, "Where did you get this?"

Unfathomable red eyes met shocked violet ones, and Pluto actually sighed. "It would be easy to blame it on you, but it seems I was set up. And here she said I'd learn something," she said, muttering the last part. "Be it as it is, shortly after I had sensed the magical outbursts originating from her," she waved her right hand in Ranma's direction, "I was visited by my future self. She handed me this," Pluto absently touched the bangle, "and explained it to me. It is-"

"The advanced version of this one," Usa interjected, raising her own arm to show her bangle, "It can cover up mass teleports, store pass codes, transmit them and so on. You waited for Saturn to send the encrypted signal that'd trigger the shields, the bangle recorded it and boom! Instant access."

Hotaru stared wide-eyed at Usa, and slowly turned her head to look at Pluto. "Is- Is this true? Did you use me?" she demanded, sounding hurt, betrayed and angry.

Ranma, who'd had her fair share of betrayals in her almost twenty years of life, felt compassion for the younger girl well up inside her, and couldn't stop herself from muttering, "Stupid time-bitch doesn't stop at nothing."

The looks on most of the Scout's faces conveyed that they didn't fully approve of Pluto's methods either, and the Senshi of Time had to have noticed, for an almost pleading look briefly flared up in her eyes. "You must understand, I did it for the greater good. Despite her claims, her baby must never be-"

"Shut up! Just shut up, Setsuna. I don't want to hear it," Hotaru almost shouted, tears trickling down her cheeks.

Ranma was almost as surprised as the Senshi of Saturn when she suddenly leant forward across the table and reached out to touch Hotaru's left hand, squeezing it gently. "My folks betrayed me too, and for the so called 'greater good' as well. I know how you feel, so punch her lights out. It'll make you feel better."

"I- Is that what you did?" Hotaru chocked out and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Yes," Ranma replied and squeezed Hotaru's hand once more before retracting it to reach for her cup, her eyes glittering briefly at the memory. "Punched the bastard into a wall. Felt mighty good too."

Seeing that the Senshi of Saturn was apparently heavily considering Ranma's suggestion Moon chose to speak up. "However cathartic that might be," her glare at Pluto spoke volumes, "I'd like to know why you ran away last time instead of trying to convince us that you were no enemy."

Ranma laced Moon with a disbelieving look and snorted. "Would you have listened? Your behaviour made clear that you were convinced I was carrying some demon spawn, and it was clear as crystal you wanted to 'exorcise' it," she replied and paused to glare at Pluto, "So, how likely was it that you'd have given me the chance to tell my side of the story? Pluto'd have blasted me into my component atoms before I'd have gotten a word in sideways about my heritage! And it's plain obvious that most of you don't believe me-"

It was at this point that Mercury looked up from her computer, her expression grave and serious, "Everything she said is true," she cut in, shooting Ranma an apologetic look. "I scanned her DNA as well as her magic and compared them to the genetic data I have of Moon, and they're cousins. As said before, she _is_ of the Royal line, even if from a different branch than Moon."

Hotaru wiped more tears away and let a smug grin sweep over her face and muttered, "So much for giving me grief 'cause you doubted Usa's word. Hah!" into the shocked silence that had ensued.

Moon shook her head as if to clear it. "So let me get this strange, err, straight... You were born male," a nod from Ranma, "were given the ability to change genders by a curse," another nod, "and are now carrying a baby that's a mixture of my mom's DNA and your own. That right so far?"

"Yes," confirmed Ranma with a final nod and blew on her tea, "But don't think for a moment that Senny is your mother reborn. She's more of what'd have been had your mom had more children.

"I know," she added at seeing Moon's look, "It's weird as hell and makes your mind wanna explode, but that's how you have to see it if you wanna keep your sanity."

"Or at least something approximating it," Usa teased with a cocky grin.

"Hmm? Did you say something?" Ranma teased back and took a sip of her tea.

"Pulling a Kakashi on me... No fair!" Usa pouted.

"That's what you get for trying to be a smartmouth," Ranma retorted, her eyes shining with mirth.

Moon, who'd been silent throughout the exchange, shook her head in silent disbelief. "It's all true, isn't it? You- You really are of my line, aren't you? It all makes sense..." she whispered and stared at her daughter, "Why you disappeared, why you interact like you're family, because you are. You wanted to protect her, didn't you?"

"Yes," nodded Usa, her gaze meeting her mother's unwaveringly, "She's family."

"Oh my gosh!" Venus exclaimed in an almost squeal, her right hand raised to her mouth, "You know what that means? Moon's gonna have a sister!"

"W-What?" Moon uttered, her eyes going wide.

"Has all that fluff rotted your brain, Venus?" Uranus demanded, her hands planted on her hips, a glare drilling into the fellow Senshi, "That... _thing_ is as much a sister to Moon as... as... Tuxedo Kamen!"

"This," Mercury pointed at her computer before a full out pissing match could erupt, "says you're wrong, Uranus. The baby Ranma's carrying is, genetically speaking, to be considered at least a stepsibling, and her genetic structure is diverse enough to make her more than just a genetic variation of the Queen. In short, this baby's as close to being Moon's sister as any step sister could ever be."

Ranma was inwardly very surprised and just a tad bit elated that at least some of the Scouts - note worthily exclusively the Inners and Saturn - were being objective about the situation, and she watched with interest how the gears in Moon's mind worked. "That- That's a lot to take in," she finally breathed, and regarded Ranma with a small smile, "But-"

"Princess! You can't seriously be considering to believe this shit!" Uranus interrupted, her tone disbelieving and outraged. "If this base is technologically as advanced as it seems then it'd be child's play to fool Mercury's computer!"

"Muri, is it possible to give Mercury unrestricted temporary access to your sensors and scanners even though they're off-line?" Ranma spoke up before the seed of doubt could even begin to take root.

_"You mean the medical sensors specifically, Your Highness?"_ Muri inquired, her face showing understanding. _"Yes, easily so in fact. It's just that I do not have sufficient energy yet to power them, but them being off-line doesn't hinder a survey at Senshi Mercury's hands."_

"Then do it. And give Mercury permission to make a full status check on the sensors. There shall be no doubt that they have not been tampered with and that the results they show, once we have enough power, are genuine," Ranma said seriously.

_"It shall be done,"_ Muri bowed, and it was obvious from her face that the command was being carried out.

"Why are you willing to go to such lengths to offer proof for your claims?" Mars wanted to know, uncharacteristic curiosity shining in her eyes.

"You mean aside from having the small side effect that at least you," Ranma waved her right hand at the Inners and Saturn, "would stop considering me an enemy?" she asked with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Good point," Mars conceded with a sheepish grin. "And the other reason?"

"Because it might mean that I'd have more family left aside from my idiotic folks," Ranma said, and Usa helpfully interjected, "Remember, the ones who practically forced her to have her daughter. Oh, and her father tried to kill Senny in a misguided attempt at helping her. Sure are pieces of work, huh?"

"Thank you, Usa, how could I forget?" Ranma remarked dryly, and quickly let a measuring gaze sweep over the attendees, and she was satisfied with how steamrolled her audience was. "It'd be nice to have somewhat normal kin for a change, and your silly speechmaking, penchance for ridiculous poses and sucky battle skills aside you seem to be pretty decent."

"Umm, thanks," Moon replied, before her mind caught up to the fact that she'd just been insulted, "Hey! My speeches aren't silly! And even less so my poses!"

"That's debatable," snorted Mars, her eyes glittering with repressed amusement.

"Don't be mea-" Moon started to protest, but stopped herself in favour of showing a rare moment of maturity, much to everyone's surprise, "Moving on, I understand. And if your claims prove to be true I promise I'll get to the bottom of things. I don't like the thought that we might have wronged an innocent, and gravely so, and an innocent who might be family to boot."

"Not that it should matter if I'm family or not in the first place. There are things a warrior shouldn't do," Ranma said and gave Pluto a long, hard look, "no matter what."

"Ooh, come down from your high horse already, bitch," Uranus hissed, and a mean glint lit up her eyes, "Or do you prefer bastard?"

"_You_ decide when my boot meets your empty skull, shit for brains," Ranma hissed back, the silver lightning coursing around her body indicative of how angry she was.

"Oh yeah? Bring it on," the tomboyish Senshi snarled heatedly and got to her feet, making a come hither motion.

"Stand down, Uranus!" Moon commanded just in time to prevent Ranma from taking the invitation. "We have agreed to a cease fire until things have been resolved, and I won't tolerate your behaviour. Am I clear?"

Uranus looked like she wanted to object, but the power behind Moon's gaze stole her thunder entirely. A constipated expression appeared on her face and she nodded jerkily. "Completely, Princess," she ground out between clenched teeth and sat back down with a grumpy expression, crossing her arms underneath her breasts.

Ranma exhaled explosively as well, and the potential for violence that had saturated the air vanished. "Very well. Muri," she turned to the AI, her abrupt motions belying her lingering anger, "grant Mercury access as discussed."

_"Done,"_ replied Muri not a second later.

All eyes turned to Mercury, who was gazing intently at the display of her computer, and the women were witness how the raven-haired young woman put her left hand to her mouth as so often when she was engrossed in something. "Those sensors... are something else," she muttered to herself and set to work, completely ignoring her surroundings. Two minutes later she emerged from her concentrated state and looked around, her gaze finally settling on Moon. "The sensors are very advanced, and they're without exception set to factory settings. No hint of manipulation anywhere. It's almost-"

"Almost what?" prompted Mars.

"It's almost as if they were never used," Mercury elaborated, the look on her face communicating that her formidable mind was puzzling over the why, "as if the base was never used. But it makes no sense! A base like this would've been a trump card in the war!"

_"Yes, it __**would **__have been,"_ agreed Muri wistfully, _"had the crew that was supposed to man Lemuria ever arrived. You must know, Lemuria was built in secret because Queen Serenity VI. suspected that something was up several months prior to the fall, and her plan was to gain a foothold in case something went wrong. The whole construction was only made possible due to the development of the cloaking device that was the predecessor of what is in use here, and it took place under heavy all around stealth. _

"_Political tensions were already high between Earth and the Moon Kingdom, and the construction crews were under the most severe stress of their lives. Detection would have meant certain death in any case seeing as they had orders to destroy the base in that case. But things went smoothly and the crews finished their jobs and 'put me to sleep', so to speak so that I wouldn't be detected by chance-"_

"But how could a base this big have stayed hidden if you were, err, asleep?" Jupiter inquired.

"_I was 'asleep', yes, but the cloaking device was designed as being completely autarkic. In layman's terms, it works without my being needed,"_ the AI explained, eliciting understanding looks from those present, _"A quantum black hole generator with a life expectancy of several billion years that operates outside my energy grids powers it, and the safeguards in place would have ensured that Lemuria would have stayed hidden until eternity's end had I not been reactivated. Luckily I was, so maybe I'll be able to do my bit this time around,"_ she concluded with a heavy amount of guilt lacing her voice.

"Muri, it wasn't your fault," Ranma said gently, empathy making her eyes shine, "And it doesn't do to dwell on what ifs. Let's concentrate on the here and now and on what we can affect."

"_Yes, Your Highness,"_ the AI nodded, and squared her shoulders, _"Moving on, the construction crews had just returned to the safety of their home worlds and the crew intended to man Lemuria and reactivate me had been cleared to go when everything went to hell. Literally._

"_You will likely ask how I can have knowledge of the fall when I was asleep, and the sad answer is that I learned after my activation at Ranma Saotome Serenity's hands that Beryl had attacked the Moon Kingdom, ultimately leading to its fall. I received a few last updates from the Moon's AI via heavily screened channels before it was nuked,"_ the AI said, and a translucent tear trickled down her face, _"70.8 billion people dead, eight planets rendered uninhabitable and the Capital, Luna City, almost completely destroyed. And I, that is Lemuria, could do nothing to prevent it._

"_The irony is, Beryl's home world survived, and might be the last hope of the remnants of the Silver Millennium. You,"_ Muri concluded, looking from face to face.

A heavy silence hung in the air and solemn looks were exchanged amongst the Scouts as each of the Senshi, Inners as well as Outers, were reminded of what they had lost. Finally, several moments later Moon's gaze met Ranma's. "If your ancestry can be proven beyond a doubt I am more than willing to listen to the rest of what you have to say. My gut feeling says you are family, but we had too many supposed friends turn out to be enemies in the past, and Uranus and Neptune are right, everything we saw could have been manufactured to fool us."

"Damn right!" cut in Uranus, smacking her right fist into her palm for emphasis.

"Nonetheless," Moon picked up where she'd left off after silencing Uranus with a hard look, "if Mercury says you are whom you claim to be I am inclined to believe you."

"Princess! You can't seriously be considering-" Neptune began.

A commanding hand gesture from the Moon Princess stopped her cold. "All of this feels too authentic to be a lie, Neptune. And if Ranma _is_ of the Royal line, then everything she has said is true."

"What?" exclaimed several Senshi in unison.

An explosive sigh from Sailor Pluto, who had been very quiet up till now, drew all attention to her. "It is a little known fact that members of the Royal family cannot lie. They are simply incapable of telling anything but the truth. Sure, they can evade telling the truth by beating about the bush or by simply not saying anything, but if they say something on a matter it is the truth. That is fact."

"So you've known all along," Moon mused and gave Pluto a measuring gaze that turned into a deeply pissed off look, "You could have spared me a lot of trouble had you told me this 'little known fact' from the start."

Pluto gave a half-shrug. "I could say it slipped my mind, Princess, but it was simply too amusing to see you insert your whole foot into your mouth time and again, Princess," she said, amusement glittering in her red eyes, "Besides, I was certain you'd figure it out on your own."

Moon, who'd grumbled curses under her breath (much to the general amusement), glared at the Senshi of Time. "Well, I didn't. I just thought I was really bad at tweaking the truth," she muttered, and turned her head when she heard Ranma scoff.

"Can't have been worse than me," the silver-haired teen snorted, and shook her head in bemusement, "I'm famous in Nerima as the professional inserter of foot in mouth, rumoured to having perfected the incredible technique of inserting two feet at once. In earnest, my mouth, or rather the fucking fact that I cannot lie has brought me nothing but trouble. Been punched through walls, got bruises to last me a lifetime, been malleted to Suginami ward more times than I can count-"

"Malleted?" interrupted a confused looking Mars.

"Yeah. You see, one of my friends has this ability to form a giant wooden hammer out of thin air, and she often used it to mallet me when she got mad at me. Thanks to my mouth that happened rather often," Ranma explained with a shrug.

"A… friend," reiterated Jupiter, a weirded out expression on her face, "And she used what amounts to a giant hammer to hit you? With enough force to send you all the way to another ward?"

"Yep! Was the greatest kind of endurance training!" Ranma agreed happily, and scratched the back of her head at the strange looks she was receiving, prompting her to ask, "What?"

"Endurance training?" asked Uranus in a tone that said she thought Ranma to be even nuttier than thought. The Senshi who prided herself at being the martial arts expert amongst the ranks of the Senshi raised a brunette brow in a perfect Spock manoeuvre, "What kinda nut would use being hammered by a mallet as endurance training?"

"Maybe the same nut who went through the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken training, a training where the trainee has to extract blazing hot chestnuts roasting over an open fire?" Ranma shot back, and blurred into motion, refilling everyone's cups with fresh tea in under two seconds. "See?" she asked smugly, and crossed her arms underneath her chest.

"See what?" Uranus asked, her brow arching into her hairline, "I see nothing."

"She- She... I- I don't believe it!" stammered Mercury, her gaze darting between the display of her computer and Ranma, "_You_ won't believe what she just did! Sh- She just moved at roughly 4,000 kph! And- And refilled all of our cups without us even noticing! Hadn't I set my computer to record everything, and hadn't I been looking at the screen at just the right second I'd have missed it too! That- That's incredible!"

"Nothing special," Ranma said amongst the slack-jaws Mercury's pronouncement had produced, "Just pure speed. And as for my toughness factor, weren't it for my being pregnant you could bury me in a pool of concrete and drop a house on me and it wouldn't even slow me down.

"Anyway, this stupid curse of the Serenity line caused me no end of grief, but I guess it made me stronger in the end. True to the motto what doesn't kill you and all that," she concluded thoughtfully.

_"Your Highness, the deep space sensors have been repaired, but the current available energy will, despite the repairs, only suffice for either powering the medical sensors or the deep space sensors,"_ Muri interrupted and gazed at Ranma, _"Standing by for your commands."_

Ranma was raised out of her musings and turned her head to look at Lemuria's AI. "Really seems I can never catch a break, eh? Would've been too simple anyway...

"Choices, choices... Well, I can still prove that everything I said is true after you all are in the right state of mind, shocked beyond measure that is. That said, now I will show you all why I chose to have Senny, and why she," the teen nodded her head at Pluto, "shirked her duties, and that even without taking into account everything she's done to ensure the coming about of Crystal Tokyo."

Moon held up her hand to nip all protests of - primarily - the Outers in the bud, her expression showing genuine curiosity. "You have my - our - full attention."

Ranma inclined her head and turned silver eyes on Muri. "Muri, can you pipe down the images from the scans into the lounge?"

_"Easily in fact, Serenity," _Muri replied, and, with a mental command, made a 56 inch view screen appear on the adjacent wall behind Pluto. _"If I may guide your attention to the screen,"_

All heads followed Muri's outstretched arm and quick sitting realignments were made. Expectant looks were prevalent on even the Outer's faces, and Ranma cleared her throat. "Last time it had passed Eris and was slowly approaching Pluto," she muttered, and tried to recall how her grandfather had phrased it, "Muri, scan for a large asteroid between- hmm, on second thought, better triangulate between Pluto, Neptune and Uranus. It's roughly the size and mass of the Moon and accompanied by a cluster of various smaller asteroids, and it emits barely detectable rays from... How did he say? Ahh yeah, pure heart crystal generators," she said, causing several gasps, "The whole thing's heavily camouflaged and shielded, warded and Kami-sama knows what to look like a normal space rock, but if your sensors are as good as I think they are you will find it."

The AI seemed to swell with pride for a moment and nodded vigorously. _"You can count on me, Your Highness,"_ she said solemnly and her eyes unfocussed, _"Commencing scan..."_

"Aren't you worried that the scan will be detected?" Mercury wanted to know.

_"This is not an issue, Senshi Mercury,"_ Muri replied evenly, _"There are precious few on this planet that have the required technology, and none of them are of concern. The target of my scan-"_

"Will undoubtedly know," Ranma cut in, a hard look in her eyes, "But they're so assured of their superiority that they couldn't care less. Besides, use low level intensity to detect the rock in the first place, Muri," she added, to which the AI nodded.

"Who's 'they'?" Moon wanted to know, a hint of worry now detectable in her voice.

"You will soon find out," Ranma assured her, and her expression was foreboding, "But you won't like what you'll find. _You_ least of all.

"Muri, allow Mercury restricted access to our network and download the unfiltered raw data from 'Doombringer' onto her computer once you've found the damn rock," she added to which the AI complied with an inclination of her head, and Ranma almost smiled at the surprised expressions the Scout's were showing, "Take it as a gesture of good will, or it might just be my being hormonal. Who knows?"

"Thank you all the same," Moon replied, a small smile showing on her face.

"How can we be sure that whatever the AI's supposed to find is really there?" Neptune argued.

_"Your Highness, if I may,"_ Muri spoke up, and regarded Neptune with an even look once Ranma had nodded her okay, _"Senshi Mercury's computer can verify the genuineness of the data. In fact, it can enter into the scan via uplink to further alleviate any suspicions."_

"You'd do that?" Mercury asked in surprise, "Aren't you worried I might hack you?"

Muri snorted softly. _"No offense, but that's as likely to happen as the spontaneous natural emergence of a stable Omega atom, Senshi Mercury,"_ she said, causing Mercury's eyes to widen when she realised that the AI was saying it was short of impossible, _"I'm protected in ways not even the Moon's AI was, so it's perfectly safe of us to offer it. Just link into my network once I tell you to, and you'll see."_

"We accept your offer, Ranma," Moon said authoritatively, her stern glance telling the Outers, in particular, to drop the matter.

Ranma inclined her head. "Thanks, Moon," she said with a smile, and turned to Muri when something occured to her, "Do we have enough energy yet for Mercury to scan me, Muri? I'd like to back up my words with proof."

The AI met Ranma's eyes with an apologetic look. _"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but the repair drones are making slower progress than anticipated. I still do not have enough computing power with all applications running and Lemuria at less than half power. Once I've found what you're looking for this'll be subject to change."_

Ranma shook her head in silent bemusement, "S not your fault, Muri. What you managed to do in that round about one hour ain't nothing but incredible," she said with a smile.

_"Thank you, Your Highness,"_ Muri replied and bowed her head, her own smile reaching her eyes.

"Muri, if I may," spoke up Mercury, a deeply curious expression on her face, and went on after the AI nodded her head, "I've noticed that you seem to be able to feel and express real emotions, and I mean not just simulations of it. Is my assumption correct?"

A smile lit up Muri's face and the AI inclined her head. _"Very perceptive of you, Senshi Mercury. My personality matrix is based on the personality profile of my creator, and I do not mean on the data in her profile but her personality imprint,"_ she explained. _"I'm as close to being a real person as an AI will ever be."_

Impressed an almost awed looks were exchanged amongst the attendees, and Venus muttered, "That was possible?"

_"You'd be surprised what was accomplished by blending magic and technology, Senshi Venus,"_ said a knowingly smiling Muri. _"And being more than a cold, logical artificial intelligence has its advantages seeing as I can act a lot more autonomous. Within the range of what is in my Commander's interests, of course."_

"I suppose," muttered Venus, and the blonde shook her head, "But that's just.. Wow!"

Agreeing nods followed Venus' comment, and a pensive silence descended upon the lounge for a moment before Usa broke the spell. "So, now that we can _really_ do nothing but wait, how about some more refreshments?" she asked with a winning smile.

"While that is a good idea don't think for a moment you're off the hook, young lady," Moon told her daughter sternly, only to add gently, "We'll talk later. It seems you had your reasons. Now shoo and get those refreshments."

A relieved look passed over Usa's face and the young woman nodded solemnly at her mother before getting up. Maybe she wouldn't be grounded till the cows came home before she was even born after all.

-.-

Five minutes later everyone was enjoying a new round of refreshments, and Ranma had just taken a sip from her steaming hot Oolong tea when Muri said, _"Specified anomaly detected between Pluto and Neptune, five-hundred-thousand kilometres away from Neptune."_

Ranma discreetly swallowed and placed her cup on the table. "On screen. And allow Mercury access."

_"As you command, Your Highness,"_ Muri replied, and the large view screen flared to life, displaying the primarily black vastness of space.

"Kami-sama above!" a gobsmacked Mercury had breathed almost simultaneously, her wide eyes glued to the display, "This system... It's incredible! And I thought the sensors were good... No weaknesses... Layers upon layers of firewalls, something unknown that's better than real time scanners, and bots guarding everything but the data stream from the sensors... Several things I've never seen, nor could I even name them... It's a fucking fortress!"

A few heads turned at hearing the normally prim Mercury swear, but most eyes were glued to the screen and the barely discernible anomaly that was slowly making its way through space. "So what? It's a big rock that blends in with its surroundings. Big deal," scoffed Uranus.

"Why are you so hostile, Uranus?" Venus asked, her face showing honest confusion. "She hasn't done anything to us."

"Except destroying our future," Uranus retorted hotly, her face showing a mixture of rage, anger and helplessness, "Everything we fought for, died for and saw our loved ones die for," her gaze briefly lingered on Neptune before returning to Venus, "for naught! Just because of her!"

Neptune, who had intertwined her fingers with Uranus in mid-speech to calm her lover down, nodded in agreement. "Exactly. I thought the time of hardships and sacrifices was finally over, but then she," Neptune nodded coldly at Ranma, "came and had to destroy everything. And now it seems we are too late seeing as she has somehow become powerful enough to inflict severe losses upon us should we attack her. It's all her fault, and here she's giving us some stupid sob story of a mysterious third party being the culprit. Hah!"

The other Senshi were slightly taken aback by the intensity of the couples' anger. "I fully understand-" Moon began, but was interrupted by low, sarcastic chuckling from Ranma that prompted everyone to look at her.

"It's all my fault, yeah? You have no idea how often I've gotten the shit end of 'that' stick! Almost always 'em that claimed it were dead wrong!" Ranma hissed venomously, the cold glint in her silver eyes that were like twin chips of ice causing Neptune and Uranus to flinch back. "Muri, scan to full intensity. Penetrate whatever they have, if my folks managed to do it so can you. Easily."

_"Right away, Serenity,"_ Muri obeyed, and the brief lighting up of her eyes conveyed that the command was carried out.

"The intensity of that scan... It's amazing!" breathed Mercury, and almost shouted, "There! We're getting something!"

All heads turned to look at the screen, and it seemed like some kind of fog was suddenly removed as the pitch-black asteroid was displayed in amazing clarity. _"I'm picking up on a lot of armoury here, Your Highness. At least 4.7 times of what we have currently at our disposal. The whole body of the asteroid is littered with offensive and defensive weapons that can be extended to the surface, and their shields are almost as strong as our own."_

Moon chanced a look at Mercury who nodded gravely. "It's true, Moon. There's not a hint that the data is falsified, and Muri is using standard Silver Millennium protocols to download the data. It's the raw data as the sensors are picking it up."

"And who's telling us that the sensors haven't been manipulated after all?" Uranus asked stubbornly.

Ranma arched a silver brow. "Suuure. This base's been up and running for what? Half an hour, an hour, tops? And the first thing I do is manipulate everything just to fool you?" she asked sarcastically.

"It's what-" Pluto began.

"- you would have done?" cut in Ranma acidly, her eyes alight with fire.

"- is a distinct possibility," the Senshi of Time concluded, completely ignoring the interruption. "What simpler way to get someone off your back than to present them with a common enemy?"

"And who says it's an enemy?" queried Venus.

"The odds that something like that is friendly are very low," answered Mercury, "And I can say for sure that the sensors haven't been tempered with. They are advanced versions of what I'm using, so I'd know. An-" she suddenly stopped mid-word and whistled lowly before swearing viciously. "Holy Kami-sama on a bike!" she breathed after she'd recovered from the cussing spell that had followed her initial exclamation, "Muri, are these figures correct?" she asked fearfully.

_"They are."_ the AI replied with absolute certainty. _"I wish my sensors were malfunctioning, but these are the black facts."_

"What is it, Mercury?" Moon urged, acting as leader and spokeswoman for her fellow Scouts.

"Muri, verbal report on your findings, and underline them with schematics of the base," Ranma ordered, cradling her cup of tea in her hands as she stared almost absently at the screen.

_"As you wish, Serenity,"_ Muri replied amidst curious and worried whispers amongst the Scouts; said whispers ceased when an image that was quite apparently a scan appeared on the screen. _"The whole asteroid has been hollowed out, and about five kilometres of the original rock layer has been left intact. It would have been enough to fool just about anyone on Earth as their scans would have revealed nothing but rock due to the lengths the enemy went to to camouflage it."_

Muri extended her right index finger and indicated a point on the screen, a red dot suddenly appearing. _"The whole structure has been separated into six levels of the same size with a seventh apparently being the engineering. The energy is provided by pure heart crystal generators here, here, here and here. It's unsurprising that each power supply is individually and heavily shielded. _

_"The purpose of the first to fifth level becomes clear once you understand the bio signs my sensors are picking up on,"_ she paused, and the results of a scan appeared in the lower right half of the screen.

"Mercury?" Moon prompted.

"Youma, Moon, lots and lots and lots of them," Mercury answered in a strained voice, "At least one million, and that's my most optimistic estimation."

Gasps echoed throughout the room, and Ranma smiled grimly. "That's how I reacted as well," she said and sipped her tea, and then placed the cup on the table with a clatter, "But that's hardly the end of the surprises. Muri, tell them about the strongest energy signature in the base and cross-reference it with your data from the Silver Millennium."

If the AI was surprised by this order she didn't show it, the faces of the Scouts though clearly did. "Silver Millennium?" Jupiter asked, "But there can't be anyone alive from that time! Beside Pluto, I mean."

"No one thought there were living relatives to Moon either, Jupiter," Hotaru objected, her comment causing pensive looks.

_"Found it, Your Highness,"_ Muri spoke up, confusion showing on her face, _"But my sensors must be malfunctioning-"_

"Kami-sama!" Mercury breathed, shock prevalent on her wide-eyed face, "It's Beryl!"

-.-

Silence blanketed Lemuria's lounge like a leaden weight. Too deeply shocked to form something even resembling coherent thought patterns were the Senshi, and all Usagi Tsukino, better known as Sailor Moon and widely considered as Queen Serenity VII. by her fellow Senshi, could do was look at Mercury, her gaze pleading her friend to say that it had all been a mistake.

A grave shake of Mercury's head was all the answer Moon needed, and with experience gained from countless battles she managed to regain her centre almost immediately. "How?" she asked, and it was clear that Ranma was the recipient of her question.

Ranma's serious silver eyes met Moon's equally serious blue ones, and the Saotome's face could have been carved from ice. "I don't have much more details than you, but the gist of it is that your mom wasn't the only one who had a plan B. My Clan assumes Beryl cloned herself before the final battle."

A cold, harsh laugh coming from Neptune drew all attention on her. "That's the biggest load of bullshit I've heard since, well, ever," she ground out and glared at Ranma in unison with Uranus, the Saotome meeting their gazes unflinchingly, and then Neptune turned her head to look at Moon, "You mustn't believe this obviously fabricated story, Princess. A Beryl clone is as likely-"

"As a genetically altered reincarnation of the Queen?" cut in Hotaru dryly, a raven brow cocked.

"You keep out of it!" Neptune rounded in on her adoptive daughter, lacing Hotaru with a stern look, "You're grounded till kingdom come anyway!"

"That'd matter to me if I wanted to return home in the first place," shot back Hotaru and crossed her arms underneath her breasts in a defiant gesture, but the surprise briefly flickering in her violet eyes belied that she hadn't planned on saying that outright.

"What?" gasped her adoptive parents in stereo and stared in unbelief at Hotaru, only to round on Ranma a few moments later, fire burning in their eyes. "What have you done to our Hotaru?!" they demanded.

"I've never seen her before today, so, nothing, just as Moon here already confirmed before," Ranma retorted coldly and had to resort to using her soul of ice to keep her calm, "And if you claim I had to have done something anyway then it's both childish and plain stupid."

Uranus' and Neptune's eyes blazed, and both Senshi jumped to their feet. "Why, you!" both bristled in unison and assumed aggressive poses.

"Will you just stop, damn it! I've never met Ranma before in my life, and that's the truth!" Hotaru yelled angrily, red blotches covering her pale cheeks, her outburst causing everyone to look at her in surprise, "Usa came to my school yesterday in the guise of a teacher and explained to me that there was this relative of hers that was a protect at all costs asset, but she didn't tell me it was Ranma Saotome!

"No, I'm talking and you will listen!" she ground out, interrupting her adoptive 'mother' with a commanding hand gesture, and took a calming breath when her outburst produced her aspiration, "As said, Usa sought me out and told me that the world was in grave danger and not on its course that'd lead up to Crystal Tokyo. I asked her if Pu- Pluto couldn't do anything to set things right, but knowing what I know today she was right to demand I don't breathe a word. Using me like that… I still can't believe it."

If the abashed and dismayed look that crossed Pluto's face meant anything to Hotaru she didn't show it. "I trust Usa with my life, and when she said that the future was in danger I believed her. I only would never have imagined in my wildest dreams that we, the warriors of Love and Justice, would be the ones to endanger this future, or how far some people are willing to go to attain their ends," she concluded, a lone tear trickling down her right cheek.

"B- But _she_ destroyed our future!" protested Neptune, pointing her right index finger at Ranma.

"I should've seen it earlier," muttered Hotaru in a seeming non-sequitur and angrily wiped her tears away, "I should've seen it when you three tried to kill me for being the Messiah of the Silence, and especially when you killed me to further your chances at bringing down Galaxia. That you had to kill Pluto as well during that incident was probably just bad luck. But my being raised as your daughter after my rebirth apparently blinded me," she said in a whisper, a fresh bout of tears trickling down her cheeks, which caused Ranma to reach out again and lay a comforting hand on Hotaru's, squeezing it gently.

Neptune, who'd looked like she'd been dealt a physical blow by what her 'adoptive daughter' had said (much as Uranus), turned her head and glared angrily at Ranma. "You have no right-"

"And neither do you," Hotaru interrupted her in a dead tone after wiping the tears away, neither face nor eyes showing any emotion, "if you don't see that Ranma just wanted to comfort me, for which I'm thankful. She hasn't done anything to you, to us, and here you're all mean to her, no, downright hostile. You're not acting like the papa and momma I know, and-"

"But you don't even know if she's telling the truth! For all we know it could all be one huge cockamamie story!" Uranus cut in, frustration obvious on her face.

"Yeah! She hasn't offered us anything that couldn't have been fabricated!" Neptune added, her gaze turning pleading, "Ru-chan, we just want to protect you, stop you from making a grave mistake!"

"Usa told me that Ranma is a protect at all costs asset, according to Mercury's computer her story is checking out and Usa is with her to boot, willing to go up against us all. _And_ ready to _die_ for her if need be. Doesn't that tell you something?" retorted Hotaru, involuntarily returning Ranma's squeeze, "And besides, it wouldn't be the first time Pu- Pluto was wrong, would it?"

"No, it wouldn't," admitted Pluto with a sigh after a moment of heavy silence Hotaru's comment had wrought, "But I had to act. Crystal Tokyo was gone and the Gates showed me her as being the perpetrator," she said with an almost tired nod at Ranma, her admission not just surprising the Outers, "There was still a chance at restoring our future, everything we worked so hard for, everything we bled and died for. It was my duty to do everything in my power, and I regret I had to use you, but the safety of our future was paramount."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" asked Hotaru between clenched teeth, her violet eyes glowing with anger. "How can I ever trust you not to use me again as long as your goals are more important to you than I? And don't even mention that the safety of the future is more important than anything! I'm not older than dirt, I'm fifteen, for crying out loud! I have my whole life ahead of me, and I cannot always count on Moon being able to bring me back after I die (again), probably due to you sacrificing me because your future is the most important thing in the cosmos! Again."

It was apparent that Hotaru's words were having a heavy impact on Pluto from her facial expression alone, and Ranma, still having her hand rest on Hotaru's, decided to add to it. "I'm sure you've heard the phrase 'Those who sacrifice freedom for security deserve neither freedom nor security,'. The same concept applies here. If you're willing to sacrifice your comrades and ostensibly your loved ones for your perfect future then you deserve neither your loved ones nor your future. Think about it."

Pluto's red eyes were unfathomable as so often as she stared at Ranma, but the Saotome still had the feeling that her words had some effect on not only the Senshi of Time but the other Outers as well.

"Mercury, how about you scan Ranma now that Muri has found the real threat? We should have enough computing power, shouldn't we?" Usa quickly asked before the situation could escalate again in any way or form.

"Umm, sure, I suppose," Mercury agreed after getting an approving nod from Moon (who unobtrusively gave her daughter a thumbs up), and the prodigal Senshi consulted her computer, "You're right, Small Lady, we have more than sufficient computing power.

"Hmm, a quick rundown, everyone… As said, the sensors are at standard Silver Millennium factory settings, no modifications, no hint of manipulation. That goes for all sensors and scanners installed, even the deep space sensors that are currently off line again. Any data they show is genuine."

Pluto, who had shown activity for the first time since her failed attempt at killing Ranma's baby, nodded in agreement from her position behind Mercury, something akin to defeat briefly touching her features. "She's right, Princess."

Moon inclined her head at the Time Senshi's simple comment, and nodded at Mercury. "Do your thing, Mercury."

That the Senshi of Mercury did, and ten minutes and several intensive scans later Mercury finally looked up from her screen, her expression once again solemn and serious. "It is as my initial scan using the Mercury computer unveiled, she _is_ of the Royal line. Everything she said is true. Beryl and her army are on the way…"

**to be continued**…

**  
**Aaaand... done! My muse was very cooperative so I had the whole chapter done and polished in about two weeks, and my beta team was nothing short of brilliant. Now this quick update should have made up for the 'mean' cliffie last chapter, eh? :)

This quick update comes at a price as well as I cannot provide the Q&A section this time around. Almost everything in the chapter's self-explaining anyway (at least in my opinion), and that what isn't will be addressed in the next chapter; so I don't think the Q&A will be missed.

As for the chapter itself, I know, a lot of explanations, conversations, foreshadowing and so on, but chapters such as this one are quite necessary for plot development and such. But as hinted at, we'll get to the good stuff soon.

And yes, that things would play out as they did was planned right from the start, including the Beryl clone, her army and the base. Ranma's true reasons for agreeing to have Senny have been hinted at as well, and it'll soon become clear how exactly Pluto shirked her duties. The antagonistic attitudes of Sailors Uranus and Neptune will be explained as well, even though this chapter should have given several hints already.

I hope the explanation as to why the Senshi were able to enter Lemuria and attack Ranma makes sense, but my reasoning is simple: the base has been inactive for almost 15,000 years, so it's no surprise really that it's outta whack. If some of you find the reasoning to be faulty, let me remind you that similar things happened in a lot of sci-fi shows. It worked there, it does here.

One last thing… the 'Naruto' reference reminds me that I put up the stuff I had of 'Raiju' at my group in the files section. As some of you may or may not know, I decided to off the story completely due to the fact that I lost any and all interest in the 'Naruto' series due to the latest developments in canon, and chose to concentrate on my other stories, including those that'd been on hiatus, such as this one. Several people asked me if I could send them the existing 'Raiju' files, and Sean, a member of my group suggested this solution. Kudos for that.

**  
**Thanks for reading, and many thanks to those of you who were kind enough to leave reviews for the last chapter(s). It's nice to see that so many of you are still interested in Chaotic Rebirth despite its long hiatus, for it makes wanting to write more a lot easier. With this in mind, till next time.


	12. Chapter 12

**Title: **Chaotic Rebirth

**Author name: **Trugeta

**Special thanks to: **BorgRabbit for editing services rendered and for generally being a damn great sounding board.

**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ as well as Naoko Takeuchi and many others. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Note further that I don't own any of the trademarked properties mentioned in this story. Also, the OCs used in this story are works of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead is not intended and purely coincidental.

This story takes place after the failed wedding in the Ranma series and the defeat of Galaxia in the Sailor Moon Series. It's an AU, and reviews are welcome and appreciated.

**Chapter 12**

A sombre silence reigned in Lemuria's lounge for the seemingly umpteenth time since the Sailor Senshi had invaded one Ranma Saotome's hideout. Shocking truths had been learned, and the most shocking of all dwarfed the discovery that there were still members of the Royal family left other than Sailor Moon – and the up to one hour ago supposedly deceased Usa 'Small Lady' Serenity – by several magnitudes.

"Beryl," breathed Sailor Moon finally and shook her head, a mixture of disbelief and anger on her face, "Why can't the bitch leave well enough alone and just stay dead?"

An inner fire suddenly seemed to burn in Moon's eyes, a palpable aura of power surrounding her, and the Moon Princess balled her right hand into a tight fist. "A lifetime ago we lost a kingdom to her, and she almost cost us our lives in this lifetime. Never again!"

The faces of the other Sailor Senshi showed similar determination and stubbornness, but in the cases of Sailors Uranus and Neptune guilt and contriteness were the prevalent emotions. Michiru Kaioh had her elbows propped up on the table and was slowly shaking her head. "She told the truth... And instead of even trying to find out the facts we charged in like a bunch of troopers with guns blazing," she muttered in disgust.

Haruka Tenoh laid her right hand on her lover's left hand and sighed. "How should we have known? Her story," Uranus waved at Ranma, "still sounds like a cock and bull story to me even now that I know it's true."

"You could just have asked and tried to get Ranma-san's side of the story instead of blindly trusting Se- Pluto's word," Hotaru barbed in a frigid tone before Ranma could say a word, making especially the other Outers flinch, "But that has been one of our major problems from the start, we blow the crap out of someone or something first and ask questions a lot later if at all. And in this case this approach could've cost us everything," the Senshi of Saturn concluded, disgust plain in her voice and on her face.

Her fellow Senshi looked at each other and none of them could fault their youngest sister-in-arms' words. "It is true. Your story, Ranma-san, isn't stranger than some of the things we encountered in the past," Sailor Moon admitted bashfully, "I apologise on behalf of my fellow Senshi. We will... Discuss our handling of the situation in great depth, rest assured."

The steely glint in Moon's blue eyes and the tone of her voice made her Senshi flinch and gulp, but Pluto, who knew who the comment was meant for bowed her head and closed her eyes; the Senshi of time was slowly coming to the realisation that her latest manipulation could have very well meant their end. An explosive sigh escaping her lips Setsuna Meiou looked up and directly at Ranma. "I know it means little and I don't want to justify what I did, but I did what I thought best for the future of the Moon Kingdom. It was nothing personal and I have nothing against you, Saotome-san, it's just that all evidence indicated you were a threat to our future. A future we fought very hard for."

Ranma's eyes had progressively darkened throughout Setsuna's monologue. "And that's the problem, Sailor Pluto. You're not the least bit sorry that you coaxed your friends into trying to assassinate me because you thought that you protecting a possible future justified your actions. And your friends trusted you, probably because of the things you survived together and, and that's naught but speculation, your track record.

"But I don't see that Kami-sama gave you the right to be judge, jury and executioner just so you can shape the future however you want to. And I know for a fact that Queen Serenity VI., my ancestor, never gave you the order to bring about 'Crystal Tokyo'. Before you ask, I know because my daughter told me her other mother would never have agreed to sacrificing others to reform the Kingdom. She would've found another way."

Ranma's angrily crackling silver aura had prevented anyone from getting a word in edgewise, and her part said, the heiress of Tenma clamped down on her temper, slowly removing the oppressive feeling from the room. Sailor Moon found her voice first, a sad but agreeing look on her face. "She would have at that, Ranma-san, and she would have handled this whole... situation better, no doubt. But she isn't here, and all I can do is apologise for our misguided actions," she said and bowed low, her fellow Scouts, Pluto upon being glared at by Moon included.

"It should never have happened, but it seems I have been too dewy-eyed when it comes to certain aspects of my leadership," Moon continued upon righting herself, "I know we started off on the wrong foot, but maybe we can start anew," the Moon Princess said softly and detransformed, much to her friends' and fellow Senshis' surprise; the newly detransformed Sailor Moon held out her right hand, an apologetic smile on her face, "Hi, I'm Usagi Tsukino, and I have just found out that I'm your cousin. It's nice to meet you."

Ranma was stumped for a moment, and part of her wanted to cling to her anger towards the Scouts, but a larger part had come to the realisation that the Inners and at least Hotaru – if not her 'parents' as well – were genuine in their apology and that it would be remiss of her to let the many suffer for the mistakes of the few, or rather one, in this case; especially when it was very likely that she would need the Scouts' help in eliminating this threat to, well, all of humanity. The seriousness never left her eyes as she took the proffered hand and shook it, but a small smile turned up the corners of her mouth. "I'm Ranma Saotome, and if you promise to never pull something like that again we can talk about being cousins."

Usagi stared into Ranma's eyes for a few moments as if searching for something, and then she nodded solemnly. "It's definitely time I threw the hands off approach out of the window. It's unbecoming of a leader to be ignorant, and you have my promise that I'll change the way we've been running things."

Ranma was subconsciously aware that like her Moon couldn't lie, but it was the underlying conviction permeating her words that convinced her of the blonde's honesty. "Good. I already have enough nutcases for family, so I hope asking for at least one that's relatively sane ain't too much to ask for, is it?"

"It's debatable whether or not I'd call Moon sane," muttered Mars in an amused tone just loud enough to be heard.

Moon ignored her comrade with great dignity and shrugged. "Isn't sanity overrated anyway?" she mused and smiled.

Ranma couldn't help but to mirror the smile. "Too true. In a sane world nothing of this," she pointed at her swollen belly, then at the Lemurian base itself and finally at the Senshi, "would've happened. But then again, I wouldn't be here, hadn't found friends," her glance briefly touched Usa and Hotaru, "those that might become friends," here her gaze wandered to Usagi and the other Inners, "hadn't found Muri and couldn't kick ass and take names with such ease."

"You are aware that it will be exceedingly hard to kick one million plus Youma asses plus that of Beryl?" Mercury queried dryly, her brows cocked in amusement.

Ranma cracked her knuckles and let her eyes flash silver. "They are threatening all that's left of what the Queen used to love more than her life. They're threatening the planet my little girl's going to be growing up on, and they're threatening those too weak to defend themselves. It is my sworn duty to protect those unable to protect themselves, and I'll fuckin' give my all, even if it kills me."

Taken aback by the passion behind Ranma's words Mercury could just nod a little wide-eyed; Ranma's spontaneous and heart-felt outburst also served to further endear the silver-haired teen to the Inners and Hotaru, and even the other Outers were beginning to re-evaluate their opinions of the martial artist. "I feel the same way, Ranma-shinseki," Moon spoke up softly, resolve shining in blue eyes that perfectly expressed all she had experienced in this lifetime, "And this is why I'd like us to be allies, and if at all possible, friends. I feel I can trust you, and I hope you feel the same."

Ranma, although secretly pleased that Usagi had used a term reserved for family, let an explosive sigh escape her lips, her facial expression betraying the inner turmoil she was in. "This goes against all my convictions to hold a grudge against you girls for what you tried to do to Senny-chan, but I'll give this a shot. I blame it on me being moodier than Akane during PMS.

"Heh, hope the tomboy didn't hear that, or she'd be hell to defuse," Ranma muttered to herself with a giggle, only to turn completely serious the very next moment, "If anyone tries anything all bets are off. And just so you know, I may be able to overlook certain things like the planned assassination of me and by proxy my daughter to make this alliance thingy work," all Senshi paled at the absolute frigidness of her tone, "but I will never forget nor will I forgive."

"I don't-"

"Hold it, Pluto," Moon interrupted authoritatively to the surprise of many, "The last thing we need now is a downward spiral of mutual accusations."

"Moon is right. What we need is a plan, a strategy," Mercury supplied.

An oppressive silence reigned for a few moments before Ranma spoke up. "There's a little something or two I can contribute to raising our chances, but you guys might just take my first suggestion as an insult and-"

"Just spit it out, Ranma-san," Sailor Mars urged and followed the example of her leader and friend by detransforming, "I'm Rei, by the way. It's usually not like me to be so... careless with my secret identity, but I think it's the least you deserve after the way we treated you. I hope it goes some way in building trust."

Sailor Jupiter detransformed next. "Good idea, Rei. I'm Makoto, Ranma-san. And I hold it with Rei. Shoot."

Venus nodded empathically and followed her sisters-in-arms suit. "Minako, and I couldn't agree more," she exclaimed with a sincere smile.

Ranma looked a bit surprised but nodded, a small smile on her lips. "It's more than a start. And please can it with the 'san', just Ranma is okay," she said eliciting nods.

Sailor Mercury shook her head and muttered, "'Tis barefooted madness, but there seems to be method to this madness at least. Ami. And I admit to being curious as to what you think you could help us with, although I assume you're alluding to the possibility of us getting angry over a less than flattering assessment of our fighting skills outside of magical attacks. Am I right?"

Ranma, still feeling a bit surprised at this unexpected show of trust on the Inners' part was rapidly approaching flabbergasted. "I... You... Yeah. How'd you know?" she finally managed to utter.

"Simple logical deduction, really," Ami replied modestly as her friends - who were used to such displays of brawn - grinned knowingly, "We all saw your prowess in the martial arts when we fought you and your friend with you being at least in the second trimester, so it's not that great a logical leap to assume your suggestion consists of you wanting to improve our hand-to-hand skills."

Ranma was stumped, and it showed. "Wow," was all she managed to mutter.

"Meet the brains of our team," Rei said dryly, her eyes twinkling, "So, you want to improve our hand-to-hand skills, eh?"

Ranma resisted the impulse to say, **'Building up from scratch's more like it,'** and just nodded. "Yes, Ami is quite correct. At the moment I'd be willing to teach all of the Inners and Hotaru. Uranus and Neptune would be welcome too, but with you two being the most steadfast supporters of Pluto I'd have to place you on probation."

Uranus looked a bit contrite, but Neptune laid a calming hand on her lover's knee. "We understand, Ranma-san," Michiru said simply.

Ranma tilted her head and blinked in surprise, then she shrugged. "Right. Pluto, you I don't trust at all, and it's safe to say I'd never teach you anything. But I presume you've learned a thing or two in the last 14,000 years," she said dryly, her eyes cold.

Pluto resisted the urge to shiver under the powerful gaze that reminded her so much of her Queen at her angriest. "You presume correctly."

"Good," Moon spoke up in an attempt to get the conversation moving on, "We appreciate your offer, Ranma-san, and will gladly partake in your training regime."

Ranma nodded, and accepted the conversation change. "Good. As said, you guys are welcome to join in. But it won't be a walk in the park and is likely gonna be the hardest you'll ever have trained."

Usa saw the disbelieving looks and decided to speak up. "I won't mention things that could endanger the future, but I know a lot about Ranma-sensei's school. If I were you I'd take everything she said seriously. Very seriously."

Nervous glances were exchanged between the Scouts and Moon giggled nervously. "Right. Hard training. We can do that."

"We shall see," Ranma said ominously, a knowing smile flitting across her features.

Ami interjected, "The only details that need to be solidified would be the when and where."

_"I believe I can help in that regard, Ami-san,"_ Muri spoke up. _"I have what used to be called holo-technology at my disposal. With it I can simulate any surrounding and situation in a specially outfitted room simply called the 'holo-room'. It would be ideal for training in my humble opinion."_

"Muri, I could kiss you!" Ranma exclaimed enthusiastically, "That's perfect!"

_"You're welcome, Serenity,"_ Muri replied modestly.

"Okay, that's the where," Makoto piped up, "And the when?"

Ranma's face turned serious, and her solemn gaze wandered from face to face, exempting Pluto. "I know you guys won't like it, but for the training to be effective we need to train at least every day with one day off."

A cacophony of noise was kicked up as several of the girls protested, but Moon, Mercury and Jupiter remained silent. "I see. If that is what it takes to save the world it is a price I'm willing to pay," Usagi said uncharacteristically seriously.

"Agreed. It should've dawned on anyone by now that our occupation isn't fun nor a part-time activity like a hobby," Jupiter supplied equally serious, and added dryly, "If not, Beryl and the bazillion Youma with her on that big rock should be a damn good clue."

"The only issue I see is, how do we get out of school? And make it convincing enough so that our parents buy it?" Ami queried thoughtfully.

Silence reigned until Pluto spoke up. "I can help in that regard. I can call in some favours and enlist the help of a few colleagues."

The group blinked in surprise. "And how'd that work?" asked Moon.

"Not many know this aside from the director, but I'm a fully accredited teacher in all of your subjects. When I negotiated my contract I had the option included that I could form a class of my own for a pilot study. This pilot study is to prove that students of diverse grades but not more than a year apart up and down can be prepped to get their graduation in a year's time," Pluto explained.

"How did you get that past the Ministry?" Ami asked incredulous.

"Simple. I had an audience with his majesty, Emperor Akihito and his wife. The House of the Moon and the House of the Sun have always maintained close relations, and it didn't come as a surprise to me that the crown knew all of our civilian identities," Pluto elucidated calmly.

A collective "What?" echoed through the room at that revelation.

"Why did you never tell us that they know?" Moon demanded, her blue eyes flashing.

"The reason is simple, really. We couldn't change anything about it, and you were better off not knowing. Imagine how you'd have acted had you known, you'd always have watched your back. And that would've made people suspicious," Pluto explained, "And seeing that it is a friendly party in the know I felt the hands off approach was best suited."

Moon sighed explosively, settling a steely gaze on Pluto. "While this decision of yours was probably for the best, I want to have things like this run by me in the future. Decisions that pertain to or affect the group will be made by me from now on, and as I want to make informed decisions I want input and information from all of you. Withholding information, and yes, I'm looking at you Setsuna, is something I will not tolerate any longer. Is that understood?"

Her fellow Senshi were visibly surprised, but that Usagi had just channelled the Queen-aspect of her persona caused everyone to nod. Ranma was suppressing a smirk at seeing her cousin laying down the law, and a quick glance at Usa told her that the younger girl was pleased as well.

"Good. Now let us return to the topic at hand... What results did your visit at our Majesty's yield, Pluto?" Moon inquired authoritatively.

Pluto, who was still in the process of overcoming her surprise at seeing Usagi act like the Queen she was destined to become quickly gathered her bearings. "I assume you're not interested therein that it was very pleasant conversation over some really good tea? No? Didn't think so," the Senshi of Time sighed, "As already expounded upon, her Majesty knew our civilian identities. It turns out they knew everything about us, and that due to a simple fact: Orion the Hunter, brother to Queen Serenity VI., had close relations to the Royal House but faked his death when things got too hot, then he resurfaced and apparently founded a line that became the Saotomes and-"

"That's a load of bull! I know for a fact that you killed him!" Ranma interjected heatedly.

"Is that so?" Pluto asked with coldly glittering eyes, "And how did you come about this information? Was it revealed to you by your relatives, per chance? The same relatives who likely forced you to have your child?" she further inquired almost mockingly.

"I-" Ranma began but drew blanks as she was at a loss for words.

"You have to admit that she's got a point there, Ranma," Moon spoke up, "If the same people who forced Senny-chan on you claim that Pluto killed your ancestor it's at least suspect."

"I- damn, I wish there was a way to use the Gates to get proof once and for all," Ranma muttered with a grumble.

Moments later everything turned into a swirl of colours, and Ranma was whisked away.

-.-

Ranma's eyes slowly adjusted to the sudden darkness surrounding her, and she could already tell from the feeling of the familiar surface beneath her butt that she'd been brought to one of her favourite spots: the roof of the Tendo-ke. It was just after nightfall and the first few stars could be seen on the firmament, and Ranma gave a soft sigh. How she'd love to be at the actual, the real Tendo Dojo with her friends, her family, but she knew all too well that that wasn't to be.

"Hello dear," Ranma said softly and turned her head to the left, her eyes going soft as she looked into the face of her daughter.

"Hi mom," Senny replied and inched closer, laying her head on Ranma's right shoulder; just as she'd hoped she would her mother began to stroke her hair and she sighed contently. "I could stay like this forever," she murmured softly, "but sadly there's so much to do.

"Mom, there is a way to prove or disprove Sailor Pluto's story."

"Oh?" Ranma perked up, not stopping to play with her daughter's hair, "Do tell."

"I'm reasonably certain that uncle, Orion the Hunter, that is, cannot be scried by the Timegates due to the fact that he's royalty. Just like the Gates would draw complete blanks on you now that you've awakened your heritage," Senny explained.

Ranma absorbed the information and nodded. "Go on."

"Two members of the Royal line working together can however, activate a hidden protocol in the Timegates that cancels this restriction. Meaning that the lives of the members of the royal family can be scried as well.

"Don't worry," she added at seeing her mother's look, "It can be easily reactivated, and Pluto doesn't have the clearance to make alterations."

Ranma mulled over Senny's suggestion and nodded slowly. "Seems like our best shot at uncovering the truth. So what do I do?"

Senny removed her head from its resting place and looked Ranma in the eyes. "Get Pluto to teleport you and the others to the Timegates and say the following: Gates of Time, activate protocol Serenity Theta Forty-Two, subsection Omicron Gamma Four dash two. Command line: run Unveiler. Authorisation House Serenity."

Ranma repeated the words in her head until she'd memorised them and nodded. "Thanks, dear. Maybe I'll find out now what the wicked witch of the east has been up to."

Senny nodded and snuggled closer to her mother. "When they teleport try watching their magic. Maybe your magic can replicate it," she mused before resting her head under Ranma's chin, "Play with my hair for a bit while I explain some things, mom?" she asked with puppy-dog eyes.

Ranma just smiled and her fingers went to work.

-.-

The Sailor Senshi and Muri all watched in silence how Ranma's eyelids fluttered repeatedly before a soft smile broke out on her face. Seeing this troubled young member of the Royal family so relaxed and happy brought a smile to many a face, and Moon in particular hoped to see a smile on the face of her de facto cousin more often. A sigh escaped the young Saotome as she returned to reality, and the relaxed expression was immediately replaced by a game face.

"I found a way to prove if your words are true, Sailor Pluto. And much as it irks me, I'll need your help," she said grudgingly, her voice sounding like she was being dragged through stinging nettles.

"Oh?" Setsuna exclaimed casually, a verdant brow raised.

"We will help you in any way we can, Ranma," Usagi said sternly, her hard look communicating that she wouldn't tolerate any nonsense.

Ranma inclined her head at her cousin and took a deep breath. "As you may or may not know, the Time Gates cannot scry members of the Royal family. It's a safety function that was integrated into the technomagical matrix by its creator so as to ensure that one of the most valuable tools the Moon Kingdom possessed could not ever be used to eradicate the Royal line."

Pluto nodded. "That is correct," she said neutrally.

"What you do not know is that this safety protocol can be deactivated by two members of the Royal line working together. One must enter the code, the other must approve," Ranma said, a small smirk creeping through her impassive facade at the flabbergasted expressions that appeared on the Senshi's faces, "Mind you, the two people in question must be willing, magic and soul. Were either of the two to be forced the Gates would go into lockdown. Then there's the small problem of actually getting to the Gates, which is exceedingly difficult or so I'm told. Something about them being buried several dimensions deep."

Sailor Pluto blinked as her mind processed the information, her red eyes locking on Ranma. "Intriguing. Am I to assume that you have the codes you spoke of?"

"Yes. So, ready to go?" Ranma asked cockily.

"We are," Moon replied in a tone that rang with finality, "Senshi, group teleport to the Time Gates. Ranma, take my hand."

Ranma stopped to look her cousin in the eyes and when she found no hint of betrayal or dishonesty she nodded, "Muri, please lower the shields and raise them as soon as we are off. And proceed with repairs at your leisure."

_"I will, Serenity,"_ Muri replied and bowed her head, her eyes briefly lighting up, _"Shields are down."_

"Thanks, Muri. You're a lifesaver," Ranma retorted and held out her left hand while the AI muttered softly, _"'T was nothing, Serenity."_

"And off we go!" Usagi exclaimed as soon as she had grasped Ranma's hand.

And without further ado the group of twelve was gone.

-.-

Ranma felt herself fade back into existence and quickly pasted a blank expression on her face so as to suppress the triumphant grin that wanted to bloom on her face. She'd done as her daughter had suggested and had watched the others' magic at work during the teleport. Learning the teleportation spell had been embarrassingly easy due to the fact that it seemed to be part of her 'ascended' forms as well, and all it had taken to learn it had been to watch the magic at work and experience it. She was reasonably sure that she had the spell down pat, but hell would freeze over before she'd carelessly reveal her new skill.

Glancing up the path she glimpsed at a true marvel of Silver Millennium engineering skill, the one tool that'd hopefully give her the answers she sought. "The real thing looks even more impressive, that's for sure," Ranma mused as she ran her eyes over the Gates of Time.

"Real thing?" echoed Venus, beating her teammates to the question.

"I have seen footage of the Gates. They even tried to explain the inner workings to me, but that technobabble voodoo mojo mathingy went straight over my head," Ranma retorted with a shrug.

"Amen to that. Whenever Ami starts speaking science or geek my mind takes a vacation, so I can so totally relate," Moon muttered.

"Hey!" Ami protested with a pout, "No fair!"

Ranma shook her head in mirth and smiled. "No one said life's fair," she said, causing Mercury to mock-pout, "So, shall we get this show on the road?"

"Yeah," chorused most of the Senshi, and even Pluto said, "By all means."

"Good," Ranma nodded and turned to the Gates, gathering her thoughts and pulling the information her daughter had given her to the forefront of her mind, "Gates of Time, establish new user Ranma Saotome Serenity."

A bright white beam of light emanated from the Timegates and enveloped Ranma, and the Saotome had the feeling of being caressed in the gentlest way possible. _"Heritage verified,_" a female voice said softly, _"User Ranma Saotome Serenity listed as Admin. Welcome, Serenity."_

"Uh, hi," Ranma returned with a sheepish smile as a more sophisticated reply didn't come to her.

Moon whereas had a decidedly intrigued gleam in her eyes. "That's possible?"

"What do you mean, meat- uh, Moon?" Mars asked, stopping herself from teasing her friend and leader at the look that told her she wouldn't put up with the teasing any longer.

"That you can be added as user of the Timegates just like that!" Moon clarified.

"It's not that easy, Usagi," Ranma replied gently, "Only female members of the Serenity line can be given a profile so that they may access the Gates, but you'd need Pluto's staff for manipulations."

"Makes sense," Mercury mused contemplatively, "I assume the Gates checked that you were free of evil or demonic influence and acting of your own free will?"

"That's a standard precaution," Ranma replied with a nod.

Moon turned to Pluto. "And you knew that new... users could have been added? That I could've been added?"

"No, I didn't. Queen Serenity didn't see fit to share this little detail with me," Pluto replied in a tone that conveyed she was telling the truth, "Even if I had, what would it have achieved? You have no training in handling the Gates, and even one misstep can have catastrophic consequences. One wrong step could create a present where the Dark Moon clan won, or one where Pharaoh 90 managed to enter our plane of existence," she explained gravely, the implications making her team mates shudder, "I was instructed in the usage of the Gates for centuries, Princess. It is without a doubt one of our greatest assets, but in inexperienced hands worse than our worst enemy."

Moon visibly contemplated Pluto's words before nodding. "I understand. I'll want an instruction in how to handle the Gates in case you're ever incapacitated anyway, and I want my cousin in as well."

The steel in Moon's tone told Pluto that the Moon Princess wouldn't budge, prompting the Time Senshi to nod. "Very well, Princess."

"Good," Ranma nodded neutrally keeping her thoughts on the matter to herself, "Now that we've got that sorted out... Gates of Time, activate protocol Serenity Theta Forty-Two, subsection Omicron Gamma Four dash two. Command line: run Unveiler. Authorisation House Serenity."

_"Affirmative, Serenity. Command line carried out,"_ the Timegates AI replied instantly. _"Standing by for further commands."_

"Show us the life of Orion the Hunter," Pluto said in a soft but commanding tone.

_"Access denied, Guardian Pluto,"_ the AI retorted much to Setsuna's bafflement, _"Only user Ranma Saotome Serenity is allowed to access restricted files."_

Ranma resisted the urge to blow Pluto a raspberry and kept her face blank. "Please do as Pluto asked as soon as I say 'play'."

_"Affirmative, Serenity,"_ the AI complied. _"Approximate length of the clip is one and a half hours standard time. Standing by for commands."_

"Guess we better get comfortable, then," Ranma said with a minute shrug and began to pull out futon after futon out of storage space under the Senshi's surprised gazes, twelve in total. She passed them around and grinned. "What? Did you really think I'd taken so long in the bathroom? Come on! I wanna see my ancestor's life and Pluto's life plus her actions to bring about Crystal Tokyo. Considering just how old she is I knew how long it'd take, so I came prepared."

"'She' is right here," grumbled Setsuna just loud enough to be heard.

"Sorry, what did you say? Your voice's getting all cracked and parched in your old age which makes it kinda hard to understand ya," Ranma retorted evenly.

Pluto glared daggers at Ranma who just smiled serenely, prompting the Senshi of Time to huff. "I suggest we begin lest I can't leave your bothersome presence," she grumbled and sat down on her butt, pointedly ignoring the futons.

All around the other Senshi followed her example and sat down, albeit on futons. Usagi shot Setsuna a look and whistled lowly. "Hoh damn, Ranma really gets under your skin, eh?"

"It's not just that I have a few bones to pick with her, I have it on good authority that members of the Serenity line were exceptionally gifted at riling up poor ole Pluto," Ranma explained with a vicious grin, "Your mother, while good friends with Setsuna here, was a real pro at it.

"But enough of that," she continued at seeing the speculative gleam in Moon's eyes, "Now that we're all comfortable, well, most of us anyway," she shot Pluto a saccharine smile which was met by a huff, "there's just one thing left to say: play."

The large artefact known as the Gates of Time came to life upon perceiving the command, and in the following one-and-a-half hours the life of Orion the Hunter was laid bare to the group of twelve. It would have been an understatement to say that Ranma was most affected of all by what she had seen, and her surprise had turned to cold fury. Pluto had told the truth.

But it wasn't the fact that her ancestor had indeed faked his death, no, it was the fact that he'd done so _again_. The original founder of the Saotome clan, believed to having died at the hands of Pluto had been a very influential court advisor until 1932 whence he had ostensibly been killed in a car crash. The car had fallen down two hundred metres into a valley and been completely destroyed, no survivors. Forensics had hardly been established back then and Notabe Tanaka had been declared dead. What next to no one knew, he had reemerged as none other than-

"Xenma Saotome... That fucker! That bastard!" Ranma exclaimed heatedly, silver energy coursing around her.

"I do have to admit that he is exceedingly clever," Pluto admitted, "His modus operandi of using his Silver Millennium knowledge to insert himself into influential positions seems to be working quite well for him. The only question is, why did he panic and abduct Saotome-san to carry out this insane plan of his?"

"Being respectful won't get you anywhere, Pluto," Ranma growled, her silver eyes narrowed to slits, "You might not have killed my ancestor, but you have a lot to answer for. Trying to kill Senny for one, and then there's the fact that you wanted to sacrifice billions to bring your plans to fruition."

"I wasn't trying to suck up to you, girl," Setsuna retorted evenly, "And you'll find that I always acted in the best interests of my Queen."

Ranma didn't even react to the thinly veiled barb at her manliness or lack thereof. "Now, why don't we find out about that, hmm? Gates, show us all instances where Guardian Pluto aka Princess Setsuna of Pluto used her powers or influence in a way not compliant with Queen Serenity's orders."

_"Affirmative, Serenity,"_ the Gates AI complied and the Gates came to life again.

Over the course of the next hour the Time Gates showed Princess Pluto's infractions, and Ranma was stumped that the guardian of the Time Gates had only overstepped her competences a dozen times in the last fourteen thousand years. And she had only used her considerable abilities to bring about the downfall of tyrants and would-be-world-rulers, most notably Caesar's 44 B.C. and Hitler's during World War II with her latest infraction being her attempt on Senny-chan's life.

Ranma sighed explosively into the silence that reigned. "The worst is probably that I can understand why you arranged for the deaths of Caesar and Hitler and the other tyrants you offed. But you committed a colossal fuck up in judgement when you came after my daughter and me, and all that to fulfil a goal never set by the Queen, Crystal Tokyo," she said sternly, and added, "Even the Gates say so."

"Even the Gates say so," Usagi echoed solemnly and sighed, looking at Setsuna who was calmly awaiting judgement, "What I see as the worst is that I understand you, Setsuna. You did what you did for the greater good, or so you thought. But you forgot that we are no gods. We cannot make life and death decisions on a whim, especially not for all of humanity," the Moon Princess held up her hand to forestall protests, "I know what you want to say, but you didn't have all the facts when you acted, Setsuna. To attack Ranma was not a decision based on facts, you know it, I know it. Crystal Tokyo has become unattainable, and maybe it's good this way.

"No, not maybe. For sure. We will find a way to win this and open up a new opportunity to bring the human race into a new age, a new kingdom not built on the bones of billions.

"Pluto," Usagi visibly gathered herself after her impressive impromptu speech, "Setsuna, you were on your own when you planned the ends of the tyrants you offed, but nowadays we," she waved her hand at the other women in the room, "are part of the team again. And I expect that you act as a part of the team and run decisions like this by me.

"Do not get me wrong, I won't condone killing potential threats, but if an individual or a group of individuals pose a threat we will evaluate the situation and take the necessary steps, ask questions first if at all possible and blast the heck out of them should they prove to be enemies. Together. As a team. Am I understood?" she asked with steel glinting in her eyes.

Every single Sailor Senshi nodded wide-eyed even though they knew who Usagi's words were aimed at, Rei muttering, "Wow, she's growing one helova backbone."

"Good," Usagi nodded, satisfied with the reactions, "I'll personally dispense judgement that is appropriate to any infraction that should occur, and if the infraction is serious enough I'm not above kicking the offender out of the team and stripping them of their powers."

Protests erupted, but Usagi's bark of "Silence!" nipped said half-hearted protests in the bud. "Sailor Pluto, fellow Senshi, I, Sailor Moon, heiress of Queen Serenity VI. have irrevocably decided that the pursuit of Crystal Tokyo is abandoned for all time, past, present and future. Failure to comply will result in grave consequences," she said in an icy-cold tone and let her blue eyes travel over her Senshi, "Is that clear?"

"Crystal," ten thoroughly cowed Senshi replied.

"Good," Usagi nodded to herself, a bit of the customary friendliness returning to her face before it was sapped away as she turned to face Sailor Pluto, "Sailor Pluto, Guardian of Time, there is the matter of your infraction against one Ranma Saotome to resolve. I know you did what you thought best, but as we learned, your actions stood in direct conflict with the orders given by my mother.

"As said, you should have run this by us. That you knew I and the majority of the others would not have approved had we had all the facts only compounds it.

"Yes, I know you have had to rely just on yourself for several thousand years which serves to explain some of it, but that does not excuse your actions. And to touch a sore spot, hadn't you used the powers granted by my mother to ensure that Crystal Tokyo was well on course I'm certain you would have found out about Beryl's clone sooner.

"In light of this and with taking your performance over the years I have known you into account I have no choice but to place you on probation, effective immediately.

"I won't strip you off your powers in light of the threat we're facing as of now," she continued steely and just paused to give Ranma a brief apologetic look, "But fall back into old patterns and I'm not above it, Sailor Pluto."

To maximise the effect off her words Moon let her eyes glow silver. "I may not remember all of my past life which is curiously enough changing ever since I arrived here, but I remember enough," she concluded levelly, stressing the last word and leaving it hanging.

"I have a theory as to that," Ami spoke up, her face scrunched up in thought, "But more to that later when I have more data."

Moon nodded just as Setsuna turned her head to look at the Moon Princess. "I understand, Princess," Pluto replied in a tone that conveyed she did, her carefully construed neutral mask hiding just how surprised she was at her princess' words and actions, "Completely."

"Good. If I remember correctly, it was customary in the Moon Kingdom that the attacked party was to be compensated by the offender," Moon mused in thoughtful contemplation, noting the speculative gleam in her cousin's eyes, and added, "Within reason, of course."

"You remember correctly, princess," Pluto said in a neutral tone, wondering what her leader was getting at.

"Monetary compensation appropriate to the severity of the offense was a given," Moon mused thoughtfully and nodded to herself as she accessed knowledge of her past life, "As was The Binding, a request issued by the offended party that the offender must fulfil. Within reason, again," the Moon Princess concluded.

Ranma, who had watched the exchange in silence didn't know how to feel. Usagi, someone who barely knew her had stood up for her - granted, only after getting the full picture, but regardless - but wouldn't allow her to rip into Pluto like she wanted. Part of her wanted to tear into the Time Senshi consequences be damned, but a growing part favoured a less bloody but more vindictive solution that would raise everyone's chances of survival. It was this part that won out, and her eyes coldly gleaming Ranma looked up and straight into the eyes of her cousin. "Within reason? Can do."

-.-

"You want me to what?" the deceptively calm voice of one Setsuna Meiou queried into the silence reigning in the lounge of Lemuria.

Ranma, who had reclaimed her seat after their return to Lemuria a few minutes before, opted for a mature response instead of giving a smart ass reply a la 'Your hearing must be going bad 'cause of your old age,' and calmly repeated, "My request is that you, personally, do your utmost to bring the following potential allies to our side: Grandmaster Happosai of the Anything Goes style of martial arts, Elder Ku Lon and the Joketsozoku Amazons, Herb and the Musk tribe as well as Saffron and the Phoenix tribe, all based near the valley of Jusenkyo. Further potential allies are the following martial artists: Ryu Kumon, Pantyhose Taro – don't look at me, you'll probably find out the story how he got his name by yourself – Ukyo Kuonji and," the silver-haired teen allowed a sinister smile to flash over her face, "Kodachi and Tatewaki Kuno.

"You probably should also include those of your 'potential threat to Crystal Tokyo, slated for elimination' folder that are of the morally sane variety for good measure. You have your time gates, use them to this end."

"Princess?" Pluto queried tonelessly, just her arched right verdant brow indicating what she thought of the 'request'.

"All in all a sound request," Moon decided after a minute of contemplation, causing Pluto's shoulders to slump ever so slightly, much to Ranma's not so secret delight. "Ranma, is it correct to assume that you have dealt with the individuals and groups you mentioned?"

"Oh yeah," Ranma replied, her smile all too saccharine.

"Then would it ask too much if the Senshi as a whole would accompany Pluto, as well as you?" Moon asked and hurried to explain her reasoning as Ranma's smile fell, "Us, the Senshi to provide the brawn should it prove necessary, and you because you obviously know who we are dealing with."

"Agreed if we add one more stipulation, but seeing as we're modifying the request anyway it shouldn't be a problem, ne?" Ranma queried, her smile back to what it was before.

"That depends on the nature of the stipulation," Usagi retorted levelly.

"Damn, I feel like watching a political debate on the telly. Is that political talent inherent to the Serenity line?" Rei muttered quietly.

Ranma's eyes widened briefly as she considered Rei's statement and the possible veracity contained within, but filed it away for later review in favour of more pressing matters. "Naturally. This stipulation pertains to something you already suggested, Usagi, but I want to make it more binding, and it will be this way. Sailor Pluto, I request of you that you teach Usagi Tsukino aka Sailor Moon and myself, Ranma Saotome, both of line Serenity, the ropes of handling the Gates of Time without lies and deceit and nothing but truthful and complete tutoring. So mote it be."

Ranma didn't know where the last sentence she had uttered had come from, but somehow it'd felt right. The former redhead thought to have detected annoyance behind Pluto's impeccable facade, but the genuinely surprised then grateful look on her cousin's face gratified her much more. "So mote it be," Sailor Moon echoed, shortly followed without inflection by Setsuna.

"Very well. Now to the monetary compensation," Sailor Moon continued in a level tone, "Seeing as the offense committed by Sailor Pluto would have resulted in the death of Ranma's unborn daughter and inevitably severe emotional trauma I rule that half of Sailor Pluto's monetary assets shall be given to Ranma Saotome Serenity. So mote it be."

The statement was echoed by the others, and this time the annoyance clearly shown through Pluto's mask. Ranma was about to smile vindictively when a sigh escaped the lips of the Pluto princess. "I guess I deserved that for running off half-cocked. Ranma-san, I committed a serious error in judgement when I acted without having all the facts. It is not your forgiveness I seek for I know that won't come, but that we put aside our differences in favour of dealing with this crisis."

Ranma calmly schooled her features, the Soul of Ice aiding her in hiding just how surprised she was that the proud, almost arrogant Pluto had admitted fault. "A truce, then," she mused thoughtfully, eliciting a nod from Pluto. "This is against my better judgement, and a big part of me wants to rip you to shreds for trying to kill Senny, but as the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my ally," she finally said, her voice sounding like she'd swallowed something unpleasant, "In short, accepted."

Pluto wordlessly held out her right hand which Ranma grasped, barely resisting the urge to crush it. "So mote it be," both women said at the same time.

The tension that had been building in the room vanished abruptly, and when she saw the smiles on the others' faces Ranma knew she'd done something right.

-.-

"How do we go about securing the help of those potential allies you mentioned, Ranma?" Ami inquired.

"Well, I know one right off the bat we could ask rather easily. At least I think so. My father and his drinking buddy Soun once said that saying his name three times would summon him," Ranma mused with a shrug that said she didn't quite believe it herself, "I have to warn you girls, though. The guy is a super pervert, but a martial artist so skilled you'll hardly be able to stop him from copping a feel and groping you. For that's what he'll do. It's his self-proclaimed mission in life to 'liberate silky darlings'."

"In other words, he's a bra and panties stealer," Rei summarised with a growl.

"A pretty succinct summary, yeah," Ranma agreed, a brief look of disgust flickering over her face, "But his skills will be invaluable, trust me. And my current state of being will sure as hell suffice to steal his thunder. At least I hope so," she said, muttering the last part.

"If that man tries to steal my undies I'll flame sniper his balls," Rei ground out between clenched teeth, her statement echoed by agreeing sentiments uttered by her sisters-in-arms.

Ranma just shrugged. "You're welcome to try, but he'll just shrug it off and laugh and continue his lingerie liberation spree. Anyway, let's give this a try. I suggest you guys fan out across the room leaving me to sit at the table. I'll cloak my presence right after the 'summoning', this way I can surprise him best."

Moon just nodded, taking Ranma's word for it, her gesture prompting the other Senshi to take up positions. Once done Ranma gave her cousin a small smile and a nod and braced herself. "Muri, lower the shields and raise them as soon as a male human appears, but at the latest in a minute."

_"Affirmative. Shields down, Ranma,"_ the AI replied promptly.

"Happosai, Happosai, Happosai!" Ranma chanted, her face a mask of concentration that conveyed her desire to make this work.

Nothing happened for a few seconds and Ranma was about to scoff at yet another example of superstition on the old farts' part when suddenly a tiny figure carrying a large sack appeared with a pop. "-oootcha?"

His voice trailing off Happosai shrugged off his surprise and looked around. The sack fell to the ground with a dull thud, Happosai's eyes going incredibly wide. "I don't know what I've done to deserve it, but thank you, Kami-sama!" he exclaimed reverently, a huge grin appearing on his face as he yelled his trademark, "Hoootcha!"

Pandemonium erupted in the lounge and silky darlings were liberated left, right and centre. Indignant shrieks and useless attempts at mounting a defence accompanied each theft, and Happosai, harbinger of perverted chaos, was in his element.

Ranma let it carry on for a few minutes to ram home the point just how outclassed the Senshi were despite their powers, only the brief flicker of sorrow in her eyes betraying that she didn't like putting the other women through this humiliating and embarrassing experience. **'Never woulda thought that I'd get so in touch with my inner female that I could relate to what they're just going through. Meh,'** she thought and stopped hiding her presence.

The effect was instantaneous in that Happosai stopped dead in his tracks. Just his incredible reflexes and reaction time prevented a neutering via Flame Sniper, the magical attack crashing harmlessly into a forcefield that'd popped up to protect the viewscreen.

"That's enough, Happi," Ranma said calmly but firmly from the table, her fingers steepled, "Usagi, fellow Scouts, please stand down. I have it under control."

A neutral look replaced the furious expression on Sailor Moon's face and she nodded sharply. "If you're sure, Ranma," she replied and seeing as Happosai's lingerie liberation had come to an end she beckoned her fellow Senshi to assemble at the starboard side to explain what she had gleaned, "I know you all want to rip the perverted old man to shreds, me too, but that was just a demonstration. Ranma..."

Happosai stopped listening in at that point. "R- Ranma?" he asked uncertainly, said uncertainty stemming from the fact that it just couldn't be what his senses were telling him, "When did you become a silver-haired magical girl? And p- p- pregnant?"

Ranma stood up and moved to in front of the table, putting her swollen belly on display to remove any doubt the Grandmaster of her style may have still harboured. "I guess from the sharp intake of breath just now that your doubts were scattered to the winds, Happi. Yeah, I'm pregnant. 28th week now. You missed out on a lot."

Happosai looked ready to fall on his butt and nodded weakly. "A lot my ass," he said wryly and pulled out his pipe, but when he was about to light it he stopped himself short and stored it again much to Ranma's delight, "What in the name of Kami-sama could've convinced you of all people to get knocked up? It can't have been the old boy gets girl drunk and knocks her up routine, 'cause all this here," he waved his left hand around, "tips me off that there's more going on than meets the eye. Much more."

"Whatever gave it away?" Ranma asked wryly, the hint of an amused smile playing on her lips as she sat back down.

"Call it intuition," Happosai replied calmly in the same tone of voice as he claimed the chair opposite of Ranma, and once he was seated his expression got stern, "Now please satisfy an old man's curiosity and explain how all of this," he gestured at Ranma's belly then at his surroundings, "came about."

Ranma took a deep breath. "Get comfy then, Happi, 'cause you're in for quite the tale. It began when..."

-.-

Happosai imitated a fish for a few minutes after having heard the full story from Ranma, then closed his mouth with an audible click. Leaning back he shook his head in silent disbelief. "I'm almost certain you must've stumbled upon a site where you received a variant of the 'may you live in interesting times' curse during the travels with your father. Your mother and her parents kidnapping you so you can carry 'Earth's saviour' to term? You being a magical girl and co-heiress to a long dead empire? Misguided pretty magical girls after you to eliminate the alleged threat you pose? A honest to Kami-sama space station that's been hidden underwater for Millennia? A super demon or whatever and her bazillion of minions on their way to kill us all? I'm sure I'm forgetting some things here, but if that ain't a prime example of said curse I don't know."

Ranma shrugged. "Maybe you're right, maybe not. I can't do a thing about it but to resolve the situation," she said, blue eyes glinting with determination, "At least I'm not alone in this."

"You sure as hell are not," Usagi spoke up from the starboard side, "I couldn't help overhearing the uncensored version of your story, Ranma, none of us," she waved at her team mates - more than a few were notably misty-eyed, Moon included - with her right hand, "and we stand by you, Ranma-shinseki."

"She's the-

"Tenoh Haruka, enough with your grumbling," her girlfriend demanded sternly, cutting her off mid-sentence, "She cannot lie. Leave out things, yes, but that which she says cannot be false. So remove that stick from up your ass!

"I'm Michiru, by the way," she continued seamlessly not even giving her lover a chance to reply, "And I'm deeply sorry for how we acted and treated you. Haruka here-"

"Michiru!" Haruka interrupted in a hiss, "I wasn't about to tear into her," she exclaimed strongly to the surprise of many, "I was gonna say 'She's the real deal, so yeah,'. I've realised that we were wrong, that I was wrong, and I fully understand and accept Moon's actions, so, sorry, Ranma-san. We made a mistake and royally fucked up.

"It's just that we were so used to being paranoid 'cause someone was always out to get us and so we lived by the motto shoot first, ask questions later. That's not part of the apology but more of an explanation of the why.

"Then there's that I was just so angry at you 'cause you seemed to be the likely cause for our future going up in smoke, and we fought really hard for it to come to pass. Killed, bled and died for it, literally. I even had a hand in killing Hotaru-chan so that we had a chance to get closer to Galaxia, all so that we could remove the biggest threat to what we dreamed of achieving: Crystal Tokyo. The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel after a really long day at the office.

"You have no idea what it felt like when we killed Hotaru-chan, and I pray you never will. It was the single worst moment of my life, for your mama as well, Hotaru-chan, and even though I knew Moon would bring her back I wished I'd died in her stead," she almost whispered, tears trailing down her cheeks; Haruka wrote off the whisper of "Papa," as a figment of her imagination and picked up where she had left off, "Add to it that you seemed to have turned Hotaru-chan to your side just made me see red, Ranma-san, and for that I'm sorry as well. I said things I shouldn't have said in my anger, stupid things.

"I'm sorry, Hotaru-chan," Haruka added after turning to look at her adopted daughter, "And I hope we can talk later and clear the air."

Hotaru said nothing for a moment and kept her expression neutral before inclining her head. "I'll think about it."

"That's more than I deserve," Haruka muttered quietly, her eyes full of sorrow.

"Oh," was all an embarrassed Michiru could think of in ways of a comment to what her lover had said.

Ranma silently mulled Haruka's words over while the others stared at her with expressions of varying degrees of surprise, and in Michiru's case, growing pride. "You're honest and serious, Haruka Tenoh. I appreciate that and understand how circumstances can lead to certain behavioural patterns becoming habitual," she mused, thinking back to the behaviour that had become habitual in Akane's and her case, the trading of insults and eventual physical violence, "I accept your apology."

"Thank you," Haruka replied and bowed her head for a moment before looking up seeing as Ranma was apparently not finished.

"But don't expect me to go all trusting on you, any of you," Ranma added and ignored the falling faces, "My trust isn't given freely due to my experiences of late, and like I'll strive to earn your trust to make this work you guys should do the same. A team ain't a team without trust, and one man, regardless of if she's a magical girl, cannot stand up to what's coming."

"United we stand, divided we fall," Ami recited sagely.

"Exactly, just that Earth wouldn't survive this Fall," Ranma retorted, the capitalisation obvious.

"I can feel how much you want to rip into me for my actions, both to bring about Crystal Tokyo and your assassination, and I understand, but yet you're willing to put it behind you. Why?" Pluto queried into the grave silence, honest curiosity tinting her tone.

"Before I answer this and even on danger of going off-tangent, do you know what irks me the most? What makes my blood boil? That your move to save Earth and bring about the death of 99,2 percent of humanity would've meant all that blood on the hands of those you allegedly call friends," Ranma hissed, just the soul of ice preventing a more prominent emotional reaction, "Gramps' scientists explained it to me, and I'm certain they didn't lie. You know what they said?"

Pluto closed her eyes. "No, but I have a very good guess."

"What did they say?" Sailor Moon asked with growing dread.

Ranma's expression went from hard and angry to soft and sad as she looked into her cousin's face. "Pluto knew that the catastrophe would be caused by a frickin' huge asteroid. She also knew that the only chance, or so she thought, would be to bring the asteroid in closer."

"I understand," piped up Ami, her right index finger resting on her chin, "You, Usagi, along with us would've been forced to use your powers to bring the asteroid into a closer orbit. That would've shortened the asteroid's passing to a few hours, a day at most, but the initial loss of life and the devastation this close an orbit would've brought about would have been staggering!"

"Yes," confirmed Pluto, her eyes closed, "But the alternative would've wiped out humanity for certain. I calculated the size of the asteroid and its flightpath, and provided the flightpath wouldn't have been altered... poof, there goes the human race. It was the lesser of two evils.

"That was before we learnt that it is Beryl's ultimate revenge, of course," she finished, her now open red eyes narrowed in a grim look.

"In a way I'm glad that it won't happen this way, for I'm almost certain you wouldn't have told us what the consequences of us altering the asteroids' flightpath would've been," Moon said evenly, and it was this even tone that made Pluto flinch, "But we already had this discussion and I don't see the need for reiteration."

"Right. Pluto, you wanted to know why I can put things behind me. The answer is simple: I love this world," Ranma said with conviction, a faraway look entering her eyes as she continued her explanation, "You guys wouldn't believe the sights I've seen in my travels, all the little wonders I caught but glimpses of. This is the world my daughter will grow up on, and I want to show her so much. I don't want to save it just for you, me, the human race, but her.

"Then there's those I cherish. My parents, despite their stupidity. The Tendos, Akane, Nabiki, Kasumi and even Soun. Ukyo. Ryoga. Kuh-Lon. Xian-Pu, maybe even Mu-Tsu. Happi over there and many more I'm sure I'm forgetting.

"I can and will suppress my impulses to make this work, Pluto. Saving the world's gonna require all the help we can get, and I'm realist enough to know your worth," she concluded.

"I see," Pluto mused with a nod of understanding and slipped into silent contemplation.

"Well spoken, Ranma-shinseki," Usagi said in approval, a small smile turning up the corners of her lips, her fellow Senshi murmuring in agreement.

"She considers me one of those she cherishes," Happosai said softly, crying happy tears, "I would snuggle into your bosom to convey my appreciation, but I'll restrain myself this once."

"How... considerate of you," Ranma commented in a neutral tone that hid her slight surprise.

"Nah. It's just that the energy of pregnant females is a no-go. Gives me indigestion," Happosai retorted with a shrug.

Ranma palmed her forehead. "There you had to go and ruin it."

Happosai stuck out his tongue. "You should've known."

"I should at that," Ranma smiled and added, "Good to have you here, Happi."

Happosai inclined his head. "Good to be here. It goes without saying that I'll help you in any way I can. This includes training these fine examples of womanhood."

Ranma ignored the protests that immediately sprung up and thought it over, finally saying, "I'll get back to you in that regard, but I have something more immediate for you that's right up your alley. I'll bring over the Tendos and pops soon, and I want you to whip the fathers into shape. Akane and Ryoga will likely train with me, so will probably the others, but pops and Soun are all yours."

"Just for that I'll teach you some nice things once you've given birth, my dear," Happosai said happily, his grin evil, "But we should also use what time we have beforehand to teach you the theory behind the moves I'll be teaching you. That will make actually learning them easier."

"Gladly," Ranma agreed with a nod, then she grimaced, "I'll likely need your help to get back into shape once I've given birth, probably Kuh-Lon's as well provided she'll join our merry band."

"Why hers?" Happosai asked in honest curiosity.

"Their culture is dominated by females, she'll probably know a few tricks that'll help me get my groove back quicker," Ranma explained her reasoning.

"You always understood what 'Anything Goes' means, dear. That's amongst the many things I like about you," Happosai said with a benevolent look in his eyes.

Ranma understood the underlying message and nodded. "Thanks. I don't just want to rely on my magical abilities and get caught flat-footed, for as amazing as my new abilities are, I know from experience that there's always someone stronger, meaner and tougher out there. Which means I'll have to be at my peak, physically, mentally and magical."

"A faultless analysis, my dear," Happosai praised with a mild nod, "But now I'd really like to see what you look like as a magical girl!"

"I should have known," Ranma muttered softly and stopped herself from getting to her feet when she remembered something, "Before I do, answer me this, Happi, why is it that saying your name three times summons you? I thought Soun and pops were talking nonsense when they warned me about it."

"That's like the ungrateful slackers to mention it anyway," Happosai grumbled and pinched the bridge of his nose before focussing on Ranma, "The cat's out the bag, so I may just as well tell you. I ran afoul of one of the more powerful demons centuries ago when one of my plans backfired. Not spectacularly, mind you, but enough for him to bestow upon me an annoyance. A curse. Since then saying my name three times with the desire to summon me will transport me to the summoner."

"I... see," Ranma said as something finally clicked, "That's why you're making such a nuisance and annoyance of yourself. To minimise the danger that you'd be at someone's beck and call."

"Yes," Happosai admitted grudgingly, "But my method of ensuring my peace and quiet has sure got fun."

"That's debatable," Ranma muttered and elicited agreeing angry murmurs, causing Happosai to smile angelically.

"Anyway, you satisfied my curiosity, now I'll satisfy yours," Ranma said and got to her feet with a small smile, "Hotaru-chan, would you be so kind as to create a Silence Wall around me? Wouldn't want to disrupt Muri-chan's work with a blast of pure magic."

Hotaru's cheeks briefly and hardly noticeably glowed pink at being given the suffix 'chan', and she was inwardly pleased by it as well as the fact that neither of her 'parents' reacted in any way. Just the smile Usa was shooting her was a tad disturbing, but she would ignore it for now. "Umm, sure," she said softly after she'd regained her focus and a mere second later Ranma was surrounded by the magical barrier.

"Thank you, Hotaru-chan," Ranma said with a genuine smile that was returned by the raven-haired planet buster, but the smile quickly gave way to a look of concentration as the silver-haired teen removed the limiters on her magic and ascended to her Serenity form.

"Wow," Happosai breathed after studying Ranma's form for a while, "Forgive me for saying this, but your beauty is astounding. And your power output nothing short of gigantic."

"4.3 Terawatt," Ami supplied in a low mutter while shaking her head in astonishment.

"No offence taken, Happi. I've come to terms with my situation," Ranma retorted in an even tone that conveyed she had indeed.

"Is that so?" Happosai queried nonetheless in a doubtful tone of voice, "Not a year ago you'd have done the most bizarre and ridiculous things to prove your manliness."

"A lot has changed since then," Ranma replied softly and briefly closed her eyes before opening them again, a hard look in them, "I've been a hundred percent female for 28 weeks now, Happi. Tends to put things into perspective. And I know now how foolish it was to try and prove my being a man among men to my mother. No sane parent would demand something like that of their child."

Happosai smiled grimly and nodded. "That goes without saying, dear. Come to think, I wouldn't be too surprised had your mother embraced this opportunity whole-heartedly so as to get a grandchild out of it."

"I've stopped bothering to think about it, and I admit that I try not to think of her," Ranma said evenly, "There are more pressing concerns after all."

"True, true. Like the question: will it be enough?" Happosai asked, waving his right hand at the room at large to indicate the fire power and fighting prowess amassed in the room, "With the opposition such as it is the answer is a resounding no. But that's why you're planning to make alliances in the first place, no?"

Ranma nodded regally. "Yes. But I have to admit that I'm not looking forward to dealing with Herb, Saffron and their tribes. The Amazons should be less of headache now that Xian-Pu-"

"Shampoo? Funny name for an Amazon," Makoto muttered under her breath.

"- is my shield sister," Ranma continued seamlessly, "but I'd much rather find a way to instigate a head-long assault on Beryl's fucking asteroid than having to deal with those superior acting bozos."

"That bad?" Moon asked in sympathy.

"Oh yes. Talking to Herb is like a marathon exercise in self-control as he's acting so annoyingly superior it ain't funny," Ranma retorted with a grimace and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Bastard, or bitch, rather, locked me in my female form and wanted to leave me hanging out to dry."

"Bastard?"

"Bitch?"

"Girls, girls," Ami tutted with a shake of her head, "The information Ranma just offered us allows for a logical conclusion: this Herb has either the same or a similar magical affliction as she. Meaning he was either born female or the other way around."

"And that's ten brownie points for the brains of the team," a smiling Ranma said.

"Aww, just ten?" Ami mock-complained, fake-sadness edged into her face.

"You'd have gotten twenty had you accurately guessed what Herb was born as," Ranma retorted mock-sternly.

"My first guess was male seeing as you used 'bastard' to initially describe this Herb character," Ami replied with a shrug.

"Sorry, no more brownie points for you even if you're correct," Ranma said with a smile, "Yes, Herb was male and..."

-.-

Incredulous looks were aimed at Ranma after she had explained her encounter with Herb, and she couldn't fault her cousin when she almost yelped, "And you want to bring this... Herb character into the possible alliance why?"

"Call it intuition, but I think our encounter changed something in Herb for the better, and s/he's one hell of a fighter," Ranma replied after a moment of thought, and added, her jaw firmed in a determined expression, "Should s/he or other Musk try anything I'll happily wipe the floor with them. Hard."

"And you won't be on your own, Ranma," the normally shy and demure Hotaru said determinedly.

"Thank you, Hotaru-chan," Ranma replied with a thankful smile, "I appreciate it."

"Gladly," Hotaru retorted with an almost radiant smile.

Usa, having enjoyed the byplay between Ranma and Hotaru casually added, "Count on me as well."

"I'll gladly help too, Ranma-shinseki," Moon offered, cracking her knuckles, "And I so say that my team and I will do everything in our power to make our alliance - and hopefully friendship - work. I'll stand by your side till the end. And boy did that sound clichéd."

"Me too," Mars added, popping her joints, "And you're right, Mea- Usagi, that was clichéd, but I second the notion wholeheartedly."

"Me three," Jupiter and Venus exclaimed at the same time, exchanged amused looks and looked back at Ranma.

"Me four," Haruka said with conviction.

"Not that I don't agree, in fact, me five, but you too, dear?" Michiru queried with a raised brow.

"I can admit when I was wrong," Uranus replied with great dignity, "It's called being ma-ture. You should really try it some time, dear."

"And she was doing so well," Ranma – inwardly still surprised at Haruka's honest change – muttered just as Uranus got whacked in the back of her head by her lover. "Well, thank you, girls. I really appreciate it, and I hope as well that things will work out between us. There's enough been said about trust so I won't go beating a dead horse, so let's do some brainstorming. What can we do aside from forming alliances? What should we do?"

Muri interrupted the brief silence that reigned in the lounge by speaking up. _"Your Highness, if I may offer input?"_

"Gladly, Muri," Ranma replied with a curious expression on her face.

_"I have completed my preliminary assessment of Earth. I admit I was surprised how many armed conflicts are being fought over economic advantages, religious beliefs, plain greed and a multitude of other reasons I find hard to fathom. The indigenous cultures are very far from being unified, which would make it exceedingly difficult to make Earth the base of our operations. Local governments would not react kindly were we to take over even this small part of their territory where I'm located, not to mention a large-scale takeover,"_ Muri supplied, brows knitted in thought.

"I can tell you from experience, she got that right," Happosai commented gravely, eliciting a sage nod from Pluto who added, "Sovereign nations tend to cling to and defend what they view as theirs with all they have."

"I've travelled the world enough to know that as well," Ranma agreed, "So what are our alternatives?"

"I know it'll sound crazy," Rei tentatively spoke up, face scrunched up in contemplation, "But Lemuria is a space station, isn't she?"

"Yes. Now where's the crazy part?" Ranma asked dryly, a silver brow cocked.

"Couldn't we, like, fly her to the Moon? Make our old capital our base of operations and use Muri's resources to salvage what we can?" Rei suggested, "This way we could set up shop where no Earthly faction could intervene and fortify our position before we start to bring in possible allies like those Musk and Phoenix people."

"That... is an interesting suggestion," Moon muttered absently, her mind busy with thinking things through.

"And that's not tantamount to saying it is crazy?" Rei huffed and crossed her arms underneath her breasts.

"Not at all," Moon placated her friend, "This approach would grant us several tactical advantages. We wouldn't have to deal with the headache of having to deal with the diverse governments, for one. And I admit to being curious just what our old home may hold."

"Muri? Can it be done?" Ranma inquired levelly just as Mars nodded with a satisfied look on her face.

A few moments of silence passed before the AI gave the answer, _"Provided your help it can be done, Your Highness. Let me elaborate as to the how: I was intended to be a foothold, a heavily cloaked and shielded base in enemy territory with enough armament to repel just about anything. A key point where our troops could return to after their missions. While I can be moved it was never intended, and binding seals were woven into my superstructure that anchor me and allow me to blend in with my surroundings even better. Those seals can only be removed by one of the Royal family, and as you're my commander I wouldn't trust anyone else with it, Serenity."_

"I see," Ranma nodded and a glance at her cousin told her that the other young woman didn't feel insulted by Muri's words but bore them with calm acceptance.

"What would Ranma have to do?" Moon asked.

_"Your Highness?"_

"It's okay, Muri. You can answer all questions unless I tell you not to," Ranma replied and smiled, "And I have a feeling I won't need to."

"You can count on it," Usagi muttered just loud enough to be heard the same moment Muri said, _"If you're sure, Serenity,"_ with a shrug, adding, _"You'll have to use your power to call me to the surface. As there's already a connection between us it shouldn't be hard. You just have to will the binding seals to stop working and will me to go where you want me to. Once I'm in motion it'll be easy. _

_"It would be ideal if you were to do it from Easter Island, this way I'd have a place to land and could check if the systems required for commencing a safe landing are working nominally."_

Some of the surrealism of her recent past hit Ranma as she thought about the last few hours. **'The last few hours,'** her mind realised, **'It's incredible what happened in those last few hours. I've come to an understanding with the Senshi, found a cousin I didn't know I had, possibly made friends with some of the Senshi, gramps is none other than Orion the hunter and I still can't believe the crafty bastard faked his death twice, and I command a high tech space station that can conceivably land on the Moon. The planetoid that might just become our base. Were Ryoga in my shoes he'd probably say his life is hell, but isn't life what we make of it?**

**'I've been given great power and with it the chance to make even more of a difference. Maybe even enough of a difference to help save Earth. What's the surrealism and my personal discomfort against that? Nothing-'**

"Ranma?" a soft voice the heir of Orion the hunter identified as her cousin's asked, startling her from her thoughts.

The silvery haired teen swivelled her head to look at Usagi. "Yes?"

"It's a lot to take in, isn't it?" Moon said in the same-self soft voice, an understanding smile on her face.

"Yes," Ranma agreed without hesitation, "But thanks to everything that happened over the years in Nerima and beyond I think I got a handle on it. What's still up in the air is what we should do. I know my being Muri's commander means it's up to me in the end, but what would you do?"

Usagi looked Ranma directly in the eyes and answered without hesitation, "The idea to set up shop on the Moon has the most merit in my opinion for reasons already mentioned, and I admit to being very curious as to what the Moon has in store for us."

"There's one immediate issue that comes to mind should we decide to make the Moon our base, Ranma's agreement provided of course: what about our parents?" Ami interjected and just as her friends' faces got thoughtful she added, "It's hardly like we can commute to and fro, even with our ability to teleport, and that'd make keeping up our civilian lives short of impossible."

"Ami's right. There'd be justified questions of what's going on," Rei mused.

"And that begs the question of what we do should we decide to return to the Moon, tell our families about our calling or not," Usagi agreed, her face scrunched up.

"It's not my place to say anything, but hear me out anyway," Happosai spoke up quietly, his fingers steepled and his expression unusually serious, "First off, you've been demon hunters for several years," he began, eliciting agreeing if reserved nods, "There assuredly were close calls where your families were involved one way or another, right?"

"Yes," Usagi agreed with a thoughtful expression, "So what are you getting at?"

"I think he means that had our families known about our activities they would've been better prepared," Hotaru added her two cents, "And should we go to the Moon with them in the know and find tech there we could equip those that are civvies with armament to better protect themselves."

"Very good, my dear," Happosai praised with a smile, but his expression quickly turned serious, "I've learned many things in my long life, but chief among them is that secrets have a habit of getting out the worst possible moment. And what your families do not know, but your enemies do, can hurt them."

"But how would anyone find out?" Minako asked with a puzzled expression, "Our disguise magic-"

"Wouldn't do a thing, sorry" Ranma interrupted softly, "Any sufficiently skilled martial artist could shadow you, find out where you live and learn everything about your family and you."

"She's right," Happosai added into the dumbfounded silence, "Your disguise magic is good, but to highly skilled martial artists it is nothing."

"There're a lot more pros to telling our families than thought, especially with Beryl and her minions out to destroy mankind," Usagi finally mused and sighed, "I'm so not looking forward to their reactions. I'd rather fight a dozen Youma unarmed."

Agreeing murmurs echoed throughout the lounge, and Usagi visibly pulled herself together. "All in favour?"

All Senshi who still had family left raised their hands, prompting Usagi to nod. "Ranma, we've made our decision. We will reveal our extracurricular activities to our families and see where it goes from there. I have no idea if any of them will want to go with us, but would you have us and those of our family who chose to go?"

Ranma had thought things through beforehand and had come to the conclusion that the pros of going through with Rei's idea outweighed the cons, so her unhesitating answer was, "Yes."

Relief and related emotions but grim determination as well flitted across many a face, and Sailor Moon nodded. "Thank you, Ranma-shinseki."

Ranma nodded. "You're welcome."

_"My Lady, if I may offer a suggestion,"_ Muri piped up.

"Of course, Muri," Ranma exclaimed warmly and waved her right hand in a gesture for the AI to continue.

_"It's more of a culmination of the ideas pooled by you and your allies plus my own suggestions derived from them,"_ Muri admitted, _"But I'll go ahead anyway."_

"Please do," Ranma encouraged curiously, equal curiosity prevalent on the Senshi's faces.

_"Thank you, Your Highness. First off, I suggest to leave Lemuria in place for the time being. The why ties in with my next suggestion. Serenity, you should partake in the pilot study and graduate first. Your academic records from Furinkan High are less than stellar due to a multitude of reasons, and that's just not acceptable for one of the Royal line,"_ Muri gently chided, _"We could easily set up a class room in one of the holo rooms-"_

"Sorry to interrupt, Muri," Ami piped up, her expression thoughtful, "But wouldn't it pose less of a risk were we to use Juuban High? We wouldn't risk exposure, wouldn't have to make such a multitude of preparations and could largely remain in our usual social environment until graduation. Not to mention, a pilot study is almost always a tightly controlled and supervised project, so how would we get the Ministerial personnel aboard without them noticing that they're not in Kansas any more?"

_"I assume the statement contained in your last sentence is a pop culture reference of which I gleaned the glist,"_ Muri said.

"It's a paraphrased Wizard of Oz quote," a slightly blushing Ami supplied.

Muri nodded and filed it away for future reference. _"Understood. Well, magic would be used to create a portal in your school, Juuban high, and a corresponding portal here."_

"That's possible?" Ami asked, beating her friends to the punch.

_"Oh yes,"_ Muri replied with a soft smile, _"A lot is possible with magic, but I'm not surprised you don't know seeing as my data base list that all of you have preset offensive and defensive spells woven into the magical matrixes of your fuku armours. You likely thought that this was the extent of your abilities, correct?"_

"Yes," Usagi admitted, her face showing that she was as surprised as her Senshi.

"Surprise, then," Ranma spoke up in a tone that screamed 'I know something you don't', "There's a lot of spells that can be used, but each of you except Usagi-shinseki is limited to the element you wield, or rather, your affinity as love and death, and time, technically aren't elements but a state of being."

The surprised silence that ensued was quickly broken by excited chatter that abruptly ground to a stop when Usagi demanded silence. "Where did you get this information, Ranma?"

"My daughter, Usagi. According to her there was no end to the spells that could be used in the Silver Millennium," Ranma retorted, "My dear relatives had me learn several, but I've yet to practise them now that my magic has awoken."

"Intriguing," Ami commented and slipped into her classic thinking pose, "Am I right to assume that neither Usagi nor you are limited in the spells you can use?"

Ranma nodded. "The magic of members of the Royal family is different, or so I was told. Whereas you guys draw your magic from your magical cores and the planetary mana taps - that is where your fuku armour and the preset spells get their juice from - we draw from our cores and our surroundings. It was even theorised by my clan that we draw our power from the galactic core itself, though I'm not certain I believe that. Fact is that our power comes from a different source – and not just the Ginzuishou – and that is what gives us enough power to use the whole arsenal of spells."

"Wow," breathed Usagi while her friends looked slightly disappointed.

"That's the likely reason why your family came to be the rulers in the beginning, Usagi, Ranma," Ami opined, "Your line is most likely what's called sports, a mutation or genetic variation if you will. The fact that both Usagi and Ranma here inherited those powers indicates that it will be passed on to offspring, and recent events show that the magic is dormant in males who are 'just' carriers of the genes.

"I assume that the magic inherent to the Royal family changes the genetic makeup upon the magic's awakening, for how else would one explain that the two of you," her right index finger indicated Usagi then Ranma, "were relatively normal prior to your magics' awakening?"

_"A fascinating theorem that is worthy of further research, Senshi Mercury,"_ Muri commented causing Ami to lower her head in embarrassment from the praise, _"I will search my data base for references, but to get back to one of the topics at hand, I will prepare print outs of the spells in my data base in accordance with the diverse affinities amongst you. With my commander's leave, of course."_

"Permission granted, Muri," Ranma said almost airily, but her eyes regained focus quickly, "What are your further proposals?"

"_Senshi Mercury's proposal is logical, so I adjusted my suggestions accordingly, Your Highness," _Muri mused, her face turning serious, _"As per my suggestions, you should transfer to Juuban High – with the transfer itself being a mere technicality with the means at our disposal – as soon as you have adequately recovered from giving birth and graduate within the framework of the pilot study Senshi Pluto suggested, Your Highness. _

"_Explaining things to His Imperial Majesty Emperor Akihito should do the trick in getting you into the study. As soon as you have your graduation in your pocket we should start the real training and round up our potential allies and see what forces we can amass. _

"_As for short term plans, with that in mind that we won't be using me as the grounds for the pilot study we should fly me to the Moon at our earliest convenience. I would really like to find out if there is anything salvageable left."_

Looks were exchanged and the occupants of the room – including Ranma who had grumbled a bit about having to go to school – quickly found that they were agreeable to the modified proposals as presented by Lemuria's AI. Ranma looked round, and a small smile playing on her face she said, "Let's hitch us a ride to the Moon, then. If that works out you can tell your families, get yelled at, we get our graduation, train our asses off and save mankind."

"You make it sound so easy, Ranma," Rei commented with slight sarcasm to her tone.

"Life's taught me that nothing's ever easy and that plans never survive an enemy encounter, but things can be easy as long as the enemy doesn't survive," Ranma retorted levelly.

"Amen to that," Usagi mused, agreeing sentiments coming from her sisters-in-arms.

Ranma instinctively looked up to where the Moon was. "Moon, ancient home of House Serenity, here we come."

**to be continued**...

And you all thought I'd forgot. Can't blame you, it's been a damn long time since an update to this one, but my already spotty update schedule had been shot to hell due to several negative occurrences IRL. But even if it's been a long while, let there be no doubt that I'll bring this story to completion (as should be obvious from the 'threads' woven in this chapter).

That said, hope this one satisfies.


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